Your Hands Can Heal, Your Hands Can Bruise
by blackestnight10
Summary: Two siblings, an ocean away from home, get swept up in the chaos of a changing world. One trying to remember the feel of a smile, the other trying to lay plans. Everything changes when they let the outcast of a group into their circle. Daryl/OC This is a slow and I mean slow, proper Daryl/OC story. Combination of comics and show. Current time frame: season 3
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except a couple pair of socks.

_Italics_ = speaking in German.

Six months.

Six months since the world started going to hell.

They had tried getting out; over and under the table they tried. Each time they called home, seemed like hell was getting closer to home. And how they rushed to get home. They were closer to the east coast and so they headed east, starting out in Dallas. Did their best to keep communication up with home.

Wasn't easy. Trying to find a clear road. Gas. Maps helped, but not much. Maps don't show which roads are blocked with turned over cars. With the dead.

Little over three months into hell they had their last communication with home.

Hell had reached home.

They were outside a gas station. Landline still worked. Wilhelm had gone in to gather supplies while Alana called home to Germany.

"_Alana? Wilhelm?"_

"_Papa, we are fine. We made it to Georgia—"_

"_Alana. No. It is no use. You cannot make it. It is on the news here. A cargo ship left from Florida."_

"_That is good! Are they evacuating people?"_

"_Alana. The British sunk it. It could not be risked. There may have been one on it. Maybe more. The airports and seaports are closed. Everywhere."_

"_But if it's contained, there is time to, to fix it. To find a cure. Isn't there?"_

"_Alana, put Wilhelm on."_

"_Hello? Father?"_

"_Do not let Alana hear. Do not look at her. Look down. Just nod your head, yes? You must listen…it's here. The disease. The infection. It's already here. It started in Spain. You must forget us. Are you still on your own?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Stay that way. We've heard reports of people…"_

"_Yes, we know."_

"_How are you on supplies?"_

"_We have plenty. Gathered more today. We have two packs each now."_

"_Good. That is good. It is early, but you must start looking for coats. Jackets. You must plan ahead, for winter. Do not go north. Go south. Far south as possible. Look at your maps. Stay away from large cities."_

"_We are."_

"_Good. You are in Georgia? Many farms there. Find stores. Look for seed packets. You must plan Wilhelm. You must. Collect everything you can. How are the roads?"_

"_Main ones are usually blocked at some points. We tried a couple back roads last week. Others had the same idea. We turned back. We left the truck two weeks ago, found a small car, it's quiet."_

"_Have you heard anything? Anything from their army?"_

"_We were at Fort Benning. It was lost. We were in and out. Got plenty of supplies. Saw an army surplus store yesterday. Not much had been taken. We took hunting gear, a new tent. Alana took a crossbow. Didn't know what arrows to take, she took them all. I grabbed guns, ammo."_

"_Do not use the guns unless you must Wilhelm!"_

"_I know. There were silencers. We took all the ammo they had for those. Had a couple from Fort Benning too. We've been using those first. How are you and mother?"_

"_We are fine. Your grandmother is here. I drove to Boesingfeld to get her."_

"_Is the army there?"_

"_Yes. The entire country is under marshal law. Hold out. Just wait. These things, maybe they will starve. Get tired. Give up. Just keep moving. Stay away from cities. Stay out of the woods best you can."_

"_We've been passing plenty of houses. Farms. They're too close to the roads. Anyone passing by would see them."_

"_Yes. Do not stay at one long. Keep moving. Find somewhere that is isolated."_

"_We will father."_

"_Good. I've kept you too long. You need to keep moving. Stay safe Wilhelm. Protect your sister no matter what. Never let her out of your sight. Remember what I told you. You must plan ahead."_

"_I will father."_

_I love you Wilhelm. Put Alana on the phone."_

"_Father?"_

"_Alana—" _

Alana looked up to her brother, the receiver cradled loosely in her hand.

"Line's dead."

Wilhelm smiled weakly at her. He grabbed the receiver and placed it back.

"We'll try again. Next station we see."

**Hello all! This is my first fanfic. I've enjoyed reading the others on here and decided to write one of my own since work on my original work has come to a roadblock. **

**Please let me know what you think about the piece so far. **

**I'm going off of optimism that landlines would still work, for a period at least, after the walkers start popping up. **

**Sorry there isn't any Walking Dead character action yet, wanted to do a quick establishment of my two OC's, Wilhelm and Alana. Of course more about them will be explored as the story progresses. **

**As of the moment I don't know exactly where in the WD timeline this story will take place. I'm unsure if I want to pick it up from the start or at another place (had been thinking of placing it shortly after the group arrives at Hershel's farm. Feel free to make suggestions! I had thought of including Sophia, but again, I'm still trying to figure that out, so pass your ideas on to me!**

**And finally, yes, this will eventually turn into a Daryl/OC story, for all you Daryl lovers out there :) But don't expect for this story to jump right in to it, I want to do my best to make everything believable. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to **_**jerseygirl9766**_** and **_**guccileopard**___**for their reviews And thank you to **_**alligator-blood**_**! **

**Here's Chapter 2. Enjoy!**

They never found another landline that worked. Not even a dial tone, just silence. It came to a point where Alana would simply tip the receiver off, let it snap down and dangle. No need to hold it up and wait to hear the silence she knew would be on the other end. Wilhelm hadn't bother with comforting her. One solemn look from him was all Alana needed to know that they were truly on their own now.

No time was wasted on tears or choked backed sobs. There wasn't time for mourning in this world now. Only survival.

Six months into this new world order and they had been lucky. Seemed like the longer they survived, the lower the chances dwindled of them crossing paths with someone who was like them. Alive.

They had practiced, what they would do if and when they encountered others. At the beginning it was the hardest. Wilhelm had told Alana they needed to stay on their own. Wasn't always easy though. Sometimes they'd meet up with a small group, maybe four people. All frightened. They'd hole up in a random building, all in the same room. Wilhelm and Alana would wait till everyone had fallen asleep. They would offer to keep watch. That was their cover. Their way out. As quietly as they showed up, they would disappear. Wilhelm always left something behind for the others. Can of food, water, binoculars. He and Alana were always gathering multiples of items they already had. Leaving something behind for the others was the only way they could atone for abandoning them.

But no amount of atonement could make up for when they'd leave women and children behind. It really way true, how children look up at your with doe-like eyes, scared out of their minds and looking to you for help. Alana believed it was harder on herself, leaving these people behind, but it was Wilhelm who saw Alana in every child's face.

Couldn't let it get to him though. Couldn't allow it to make him weak. They had a plan. To survive. If they were going to do that, they needed only the essentials. And that was each other. The longer they survived, the more they would need each other. People were becoming desperate.

Separate humans from humanity and it was easy to see just how similar we are to beasts.

Alana chucked the iPod out the window. After a solid 3 hours it had died. She wasn't too upset though; she could only take so much of Britney Spears and 3OH!3 before losing her mind. She had a charging cord for it, but again, she had no interest in repeating the musical talent of the past 3 hours.

The highway was clear as far as they could see. A pleasant sight to both. The heat though, that wasn't as welcomed. Wilhelm could never remember it being this hot back home. All the windows were rolled down on the little Honda Accord. No A/C, just ate up the gas faster. They took it slow on the road, no need to be hasty, not with the five jugs of gasoline in the trunk. The backseat was filled with four large packs. They were nearly as tall as Alana at just under 5 feet. Stuffed with everything they'd ever need to survive.

Pack one consisted of clothing, two tents, blankets, small pillows. Stuffed in the middle were bathroom amenities; shampoo, bars of soap, lotion, sun block, toothpaste, nail clippers Even toilet paper.

Pack two was filled with food. The majority of it was jerky. Numerous bottles of water, a couple of sodas. Alana had discovered Big Red in Texas and had since been on the lookout for more. She had three. Everyday she'd take one sip. There were cans of soup, beans, vegetables, fruit. They had a small pot and pan as well. Almost half the pack was stuffed with Ramen Noodles and MRE's. Wilhelm would share one pack with Alana every three days.

Pack three was lined with thick towels. Pack three was reserved for guns. Wilhelm knew the names of most of them. Others he just knew which end not to point at himself. The bottom of the pack was filled with clips and boxes of bullets. He made sure at the start that he and Alana knew which ammo went to which gun. They had a small amount of flares, used only when a distraction was needed. Alana had been keeping an eye out for fireworks, but so far had come across none in their scavenging. There were also four pairs of night vision binoculars. Alana enjoyed wearing those. Reminded her of Jurassic Park. Recently she had added three large tubes of arrows to the bag. They had stopped at a small hunting store in the middle of nowhere and there looking down at her was a crossbow. She had no idea how to use it, but it was there, so she took it. Stuffed three tubes full of arrows. Figured she's sort through them at some point, find out which ones worked with her new bow.

The last pack was most important. It had, as she joked, the silent killers in it. Each item was wrapped in a towel. Two baseball bats, one splintered baseball bat, hunting knife sets, two hand axes, four machetes, shovel, sharpening kits, and various hand knives. And a box of nails. Wilhelm had the idea of sticking some in the splintered bat. He had grabbed them as the previous owner of a random backwoods store came lunging at him, half his face torn off. Wilhelm had stepped aside, pushing the walker to the floor before crushing his head in with the heel of his boot. On the way out of the store that day he saw Alana cradling a handful of steel stakes.

"I'll be Buffy. You can be Xander," she had told him. Wilhelm figured it wasn't too bad a choice, at least Xander lived.

"We should try to find a…those little players. For movies. At an electronic store. It'll pass the time," Wilhelm suggested not even twenty minutes after Alana had tossed the iPod.

"Would it already be charged?"

Wilhelm shrugged, squinting his eyes at the sun. "Maybe. We could find another car, let it charge a while."

"What movies would we get?"

"Long ones."

Alana laughed. "Director's cut."

The car became silent again. Wilhelm tried to slouch in the seat, but he was too tall and wide to do so. He was the formidable German anyone with a stereotypical mindset would think of. His forehead was always wrinkled with lines, even when he wasn't scrunching his face up. His eyes were a pale blue, a tired blue, but always alert, waiting for that thing in the corner of his eye to pop out at him. His face was getting scruffy. Had to toss out an electric razor he'd found when it died last week. He was currently on the lookout for shaving cream and razors. He scratched at his head.

"_Sunglasses?"_ he asked Alana.

She looked around her feet and picked up a pair. They were women's, but gender specifics wasn't something either worried about much anymore.

"Maybe we should look for CD's instead."

"In other cars."

"Yeah."

Alana drifted off to a short nap, the buzz of the wind sweeping through her ears. She was much shorter than her brother and her features softer. Her hair seemed almost black at times, when the sun hit it just right. She had their mother's eyes, always wide, taking everything in. Wilhelm always envied her for having mother's eyes, grey, like the sky before a storm. She was short, for her family, but it never stopped her from following her brother into the _Bundeswehr, _the Federal Defence Forces of Germany. Neither had wanted to join, but it was father's wish. Longer they survived, the more they appreciated that they had.

Alana had just finished her stint and as a present Wilhelm had decided they would travel across America together. He looked over at her sleeping. _Could have been a doctor, _he thought. She had completed the training before transferring to the _Heer,_ army, to serve under him. She went through the same training as he did. He wouldn't admit it, but it was difficult, yelling at her group when they failed a mission. He always felt that he was yelling directly at her. And it wasn't easy, at the start, when he had to dump her in the woods, fifty miles from the nearest town. Part of their training. He had done it before her. One week into training they were dropped off by helicopter, left to fend for themselves for 7 days. After returning back to base for a week, they were dropped off again. This time for 14 days. To graduate from training they had to go back. And find their way to the small town, fifty miles away. He had been the first of his group to make it to the town. She was the first of her group.

Wilhelm reached over and pulled the map from Alana's loose hands. He slowed down so he could look at it, even though there was no need. No traffic to worry about. He hadn't bothered with looking at the names of the roads and highways. All he cared about was their location in reference cities. They had a large atlas as well as numerous maps for each state that they had been through. There were X's over various roads and highways. Dead ends. Comments were written here and there. _Left side blocked. Bridge out. Dead. _

Wilhelm sighed, stuffing the map in the door. They were coming up to a hill. He never liked hills. No clue what could be on the other side. He slowed down to a crawl, creeping as far up the hill as possible. Killing the engine he shook Alana. He pointed out and she nodded, knowing the routine. The both slipped out the car, Wilhelm casually opening the back door to grab a pair of binoculars and a sniper rifle from Pack #3. He fitted the silencer on as he made his way down the road. Alana had taken a seat behind the wheel, hand on the ignition, foot on the gas. She kept counting in her head, moving her eyes left, front, right, behind, left, front, right, behind.

Funny, it felt cooler outside than it did in the car. Probably just the air flowing through their clothes without the car to block it. They both had the same idea when things first went to hell. They stopped at a sporting goods store. Hunting department had been nearly wiped clean. But no one seemed to have had the sense to grab outdoors clothing. The grey material of their pants was light. Underneath their button up shirts they both wore UnderArmour Heat Gear.

Reaching the peak of the hill Wilhelm slowed down, binoculars up. Scanning the horizon he chuckled.

He motioned for Alana to follow in the car. Pulling up next to him she huffed at the sight.

Another graveyard of cars.

There was a turned over van not 100 feet ahead. Wilhelm jogged over to it and climbed atop it. He scanned back and forth across the horizon, looking for movement. There was none. It was difficult to see if there was a path through the vehicles.

"If we drive along the side, I think we can get through," he told Alana.

"How far?"

"Don't know. Far as the eye can see, at the least." Wilhelm jumped down and headed back. He reached into the car and pulled out the map. It was littered with X's. There were a couple of back roads they could try. Likely poorly maintained and every local had probably already tried them and were still there, waiting for a meal to come by. "KBO."

Alana huffed again. "Keep Buggering On."

Wilhelm climbed onto the roof of the car. It had a luggage rack and so he held on with one hand while he continued to look through the binoculars. Alana slowly moved the car down the road.

Here and there a car would be in the way and Alana would have to push past it. A couple of walkers appeared from the cars around them every now and then. Wilhelm would jump down from the roof to take care of them, taking one of the machetes with him.

Thirty minutes in and Alana stopped the car completely. Wilhelm was yanking the machete from the head of an elderly man, his large eyeglasses broken in two. The engine was quiet, but Wilhelm still noticed when Alana turned it off.

He looked up quickly and made his way back to her. She was leaning half her body out the window. She stared off into the woods, but wasn't looking for anything there. She was listening.

First her eyes, then her head turned to the road behind them. Wilhelm took a couple of steps forward. He climbed slowly up on the roof again, binoculars up. Alana looked up at him, waiting. He shook his head.

"Too far back." He turned to the road ahead and looked.

There was a rumble of backfiring and their heads snapped back behind them.

"_Motorbike,"_ Alana said instantly.

They quickly worked to stuff the loose items and supplies into the packs. Tossing them to the side he popped the hood. Pulling a pair of gloves from a pocket he got to work at removing the car battery. Alana joined him and together they tipped the car over.

They tossed packs on their backs and Wilhelm carried the other two in his arms. Alana held onto the binoculars, rifle, and machete. Jumping the rail they made their way into the woods.

There was plenty of brush and so it only took seconds to hide the packs. Wilhelm grabbed another rifle and then the two of them started looking for trees to climb up in.

They were 100 feet from the road when a motorcycle came to a halt next to their car.

**Yay! Could this be who we think it is? Wonder if the German duo is about to be discovered. Be sure to leave reviews! I make sure to reply back to each one **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again to _jerseygirl9766__, __guccileopard__, __alligator-blood, _and _Band131. _**

_Italics _= German

Alana gawked at the motorbike, wondering why anyone would be comfortable with the handlebars so far up. And also wondering why anyone would choose to ride something so loud.

The man got off the bike and looked around. He looked like he had driven through the desert, his clothes covered in dirt and weathered. His skin was toasted by the sun, but Alana felt fairly certain that half of it was simply months worth of dirt. His face was scrunched up as he squinted, looking around. He grabbed the crossbow from his back and started moving towards the flipped Honda. He climbed on top and looked ahead. He muttered something to himself.

Jumping down he got back on the motorbike. Weaving through the cars he disappeared from view a couple of times.

Wilhelm turned to Alana. They were straddling two large branches of a tree, laying as flat as possible.

Normally, when they came across others on the road they'd hide. If the people turned back, they'd wait thirty minutes then get back on the road. If the people continued on in their direction, they'd wait for a day before moving on.

"The CD's will have to wait," Wilhelm sighed, with a smile at his sister. He scooted carefully to the trunk of the tree and leaned back. Alana remained where she was, keeping watch. Wilhelm looked at this watch. It was 11AM. They had been stuck in that car since first sunlight; he decided they could wait till noon to move out. He pulled a small word search puzzle from another pocket in his pants, along with a blue crayon.

The backfire of the motorbike was fading.

At one point Alana could hear it pause.

It kicked back up and just as it had begun to fade it started getting louder.

Wilhelm held up his rifle, looking through the scope.

The man on the motorbike was coming towards them again. Slower this time. Alana stiffened when she saw the caravan trailing behind him. Wilhelm shook his head. The man on the bike alone could easily make it through the cars, but the ones following him, it was pointless. The RV would get stuck.

Wilhelm laid along the branch of the tree, rifle in position. Alana had taken hers up as well. Soon as the motorbike reappeared they knew what would happen.

That Honda Accord was in the way. They'd have to move it to get through.

The group was slow moving, slower than the Honda had been. The motorbike had inched ahead of the group bit by bit and was slowly passing by the siblings. A thin hissing sound erupted from the RV and smoke quickly seeped up from the hood.

The people exited the vehicles as if they were used to this. Alana and Wilhelm watched, accounting for each person. An older man came out of the RV, shaking his head. He was quickly joined by a young Asian man. A woman with blonde hair peeked out from the RV.

Two women, one with long dark hair, the other with graying short hair, walked up, their arms wrapped around the shoulders of a boy and girl. The girl clutched a doll in her hands. A man appeared behind them, a determination in his steps.

Alana and Wilhelm released the safeties on their rifles when a black man and a man with olive skin came up the rear; one with a gun in hand, the other with a baseball bat.

They seemed to be discussing the RV. Alana watched as the elder man with white hair climbed on top the RV. The group was stretching out through the cars, going to each one and looking in, grabbing what supplies and food there was.

Alana moved her rifle as the black man and the man from the motorbike walked by. She knew there was no need to ask Wilhelm what they would do now. They would wait up in that tree for as long as it took. Long as the newcomers didn't come into the woods and find the packs the plan would stay the same.

It was quickly realized that the group would be turning around. They were moving cars out of the way around the RV. Alana had looked too long and when returning to look for the black man and the motorbike man, they had disappeared behind the cars. She moved her sights to the edges of the forest.

She could hear the footfalls of the people as they wandered about. She looked to Wilhelm. He has his aim trained on the elder man atop the RV. He had binoculars. As he scanned over the trees Wilhelm gripped the trigger. It wasn't till the man had turned completely round that Wilhelm relaxed.

But only for a moment.

Something had changed in the man's demeanor. Looking to the horizon Wilhelm could see the herd of walkers coming towards them. He signaled to Alana.

They remained there in the tree as one by one the members of the group realized what was upon them. Hurriedly they hid under cars. Alana watched as the long-haired mother held onto the other as she looked on under another car to the little girl.

A glance to her brother and he signaled to her.

He had counted 50 walkers. Likely more.

Alana looked up the road, searching for the two group members not accounted for. She could see the top of a head peaking above a car, moving back and forth. The breaking of glass and Wilhelm had his rifle repositioned.

The black man held his arm as he scurried to and fro in the same small spot. A trail of blood following him. He abruptly stopped and fell to the road as a walker came up to him from behind a flipped van. Alana and Wilhelm watched as it advanced on him, their trigger fingers lax. Neither flinched when the motorbike man shoved a knife up into the walker's head.

Wilhelm smiled wryly when the man tossed the dead walker atop the wounded man. He and Alana had used that move countless times.

For as slow as the walkers are, it wasn't long before the herd had passed them. From the looks on the faces of the group, they hadn't encountered a herd before. Alana and Wilhelm had. They weren't sure why they stayed together like that. Only thing that made sense was the roaming. Looking for food. Likely all they knew, how to eat.

The tree branch wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but Alana did her best to stay still. There were still a few straggler walkers. She almost lost her grip when someone screamed. Their rifles moving in near perfect unison, Alana and Wilhelm watched as two walkers chased after the little girl. The man with the determined walk followed after them, jumping quickly over the railing and vanishing into the woods.

Not long after the man with olive skin and wide shoulders headed into the forest, the man with the crossbow leading the way.

A silence fell over the group save for the quiet sobs coming from the little girl's mother. There was no wind. No birds in the trees. No rustle of leaves. Ignoring everything else, Alana could hear the woman's cry.

"Sophia. My little girl is out there."

Alana felt nothing at the woman's cry.

Wilhelm looked over at his sister and spoke quietly.

"_We'll wait till they find the girl. Or give up. If they stay the night we'll have no choice but to move."_

Alana no longer bothered with asking, when coming across a group in need of help, if they would stop and help. If Wilhelm decided it was safe to offer their help he'd tell her. This group wasn't organized. If they were they'd have never try to make it through the blockade of cars. It was never wise to help out a disorganized group. They never took it well when someone attempted to leave. It was abandonment in their eyes. In the eyes of Wilhelm it was survival.

The last group they left behind, four weeks ago, tried to keep them from leaving. There were only four in the group. Wilhelm thought it was a waste of four bullets in the rifle, but he had spotted walkers nearby and had to make sure the argument ended quickly.

Nightfall was coming soon and the group that had gone into the woods returned. Without the little girl. Without Sophia.

The sobs from the mother started again. There was an argument. Alana watched as the group began moving around the cars again. They were staying the night on the road, going out in the morning to look for the girl again. That seemed to do little to soothe the mother. She wanted her daughter back right that moment. Alana and Wilhelm both knew the chances of her daughter coming back. They were fairly high, only catch was that the mother might not like the way in which she came back.

As night began to fall the group members returned to their cars, hiding under blankets. The elder man set a folding chair up against the RV, by the ladder. Wilhelm gave them a sliver of credit, having a night watch set up. The man with the crossbow walked back to his bike. He looked out over the road, to the right side where Sophia had run off to. His face was still scrunched up, like he didn't know how not to furrow his brow. He started pushing the bike back to the RV.

He stopped.

Looking at the loose gravel at the side of the road he followed an invisible line into the woods. Alana's finger began to apply pressure to the trigger.

Wilhelm was watching as the elder man climbed up onto roof of the RV, setting up the chair and taking a seat. He rested a rifle between his legs, raising the binoculars to his eyes.

Alana watched as the man with the crossbow scanned the treeline. He looked up at the tree tops.

For a moment he was in Alana's crosshairs, looking straight ahead to their tree. His shoulders slacked as he sighed, casting his eyes down to his feet as he continued pushing the bike.

Alana shook her trigger hand. Wilhelm looked over at her.

Her finger had cramped up.

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I really really really wanted to get some introductions in on this chapter, but I decided it would feel too rushed. But hey, looks like there's been some sort of introduction of sorts **

**I'm hoping to, by the end of the next chapter, to introduce Alana and Wilhelm to the group. **

**Again, send me your requests, your loves, your hates, everything! **

**Thank you again to alligator-blood for helping with the storyline of this chapter! **

**The more reviews, the faster and more I write **


	4. Chapter 4

**Once again, I own nothing except the fantastic German duo. **

_Italics _= Speaking in German

Alana and Wilhelm stayed in their spots, laid out along the tree branches. Rifles up, eyes looking through the scopes. They'd roll side to side carefully every now and then. Bits of bark poked into them, both knowing they'd have scrapes by the time they got down. The sun had gone down already. Had been dark for a few hours. The members of the group were all asleep in their cars. The elder man had gone back into the RV. The young Asian man had taken his place atop it. His eyes were always drenched with worry. Wilhelm kept his scope on him; he didn't trust the young man to spot if anything or anyone crept up on the group. Wilhelm and Alana needed to be prepared in case something happened and the group came towards them.

Alana was fighting to keep her head up. A few times she would rest her chin on one of her arms, but each time she'd find herself nodding off. Trying to hold her head up on its own wasn't much better either. She'd already banged her head on the rifle's scope twice. She wanted to sleep so badly, but there was no room for sleep.

Wilhelm had to keep an eye on RV as the young man on top would occasionally turn fully around, scanning over everything. Wilhelm also had to keep an eye out himself. Again, he didn't trust the young man to not miss anything. He had no time to keep watch over the man with the crossbow.

He sat in the cabin of a truck that had been turned sideways. It was just in front of the RV, close enough for the young man to keep an eye on him. He had only gotten into the truck no less than ten minutes prior. Up till then he had been walking up and down the road. Walking just far enough ahead he'd stare down the stretch of blocked road, then turn around and head back. Crossbow in hand.

Alana would follow him, keeping him in her crosshairs, clenching and releasing her trigger hand from time to time. She caught him twice looking past the Honda, over the railing and into the woods. He'd keep moving on though. He'd pass by the car the little girl had been hiding under and stare at it. All she could see was the back of his head, but she knew what look was on his face.

Guilt.

They should have turned around. He thought they could make it through. He led the way. And now that little girl was somewhere out there. If she was still alive, she was scared. If she had been attacked, she was in pain. And scared. Didn't matter what her circumstance was, in none of them was she better off. She'd only be better off if he had turned them around.

That's what he was thinking, what was passing over his face each time he looked at that car. It had to be. She knew it.

She out from her thoughts when her brother waved a hand at her. He pointed one finger behind them and Alana slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position. Keeping her balance she did her best to look round the tree. It was clear. She gave a thumbs up to Wilhelm. Waiting till the young man on the RV turned his back to them, Wilhelm held up a closed fist and Alana began making her way down the tree. It took her nearly four minutes to reach the ground. Leaning against the side of the tree, turning her head from the road then to the woods on her right she gave Wilhelm the clear. He reached the ground much faster than her. They crouched down against the tree, Wilhelm watching the woods, Alana watching the road. The packs were hidden some brush some 15 feet ahead of them.

They'd have to be fast. There was no chance they wouldn't make any noise when grabbing the packs. Wilhelm moved around Alana, heading for the packs. It would be easier for him to grab them. He left his rifle at her feet. If there was any movement from the group members she would click her tongue and he'd hit the ground.

Alana turned her attention from the man on the RV. Though they were a distance from them she'd be able to tell if he suddenly turned around. She kept her sights on the man in the truck. The windows were tinted and without the scope trained on him she couldn't tell if his eyes were opened or closed.

Wilhelm moved from tree to tree instead of heading straight for the packs. He brushed twigs and bunches of leaves slowly with his hands before stepping on a spot, creating a small path for him to follow back quickly. It wasn't wise, but they needed to move. There was no telling how long or how short the group would stay at this spot looking for that girl. He reached the brush and started staring at it, trying to decide which bits to pull off first, how to grab the packs, which way he would turn around.

There was a snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves to his right. Instantly he pressed himself flat against the ground. Alana had heard it too. Maybe 100 feet to their right. She looked quickly, scope still on the truck. She couldn't see anything. She didn't bother looking back into the scope. The man in the truck had gotten out and was making his way towards the railing. The man atop the RV turned around, watching him. He held the binoculars up, but shook his head back down to the other. Too dark.

The man made his way past the cars, pausing as he reached the railing. The rustling could still be heard, getting closer to the road. Alana spotted Wilhelm pushing himself up from the ground slowly. She knew right away what his plan was. Didn't matter what was causing the noise to either of them at that point. All that mattered was that it was a distraction.

A buck jumped out in front of the man, staggering for a second, then regaining its footing and leaping over the railing. Its hooves echoed off the road as it made its way to the other side. Wilhelm used that moment to slide the packs onto his shoulders, quickly returning to Alana's side. They began moving further into the woods, he leading the way as Alana kept her aim on the man.

"_Faster!" _she hissed to Wilhelm.

He looked back quickly, seeing the man peering into the woods; he had heard more than just the buck.

He was calling out lowly. "Sophia!"

Jumping the rail the man headed into the woods. Alana could scarcely hear the man atop the RV call out to the man.

"Daryl!"

They were making too much noise for Wilhelm's liking. A few seconds passed and he could hear doors opening and slamming, followed by the frantic murmurs of the missing girl's mother. He had been watching the members of the group during the day, slowly learning a thing here and there about each one. Much as he didn't want to admit it, he and Alana wouldn't be able to outpace this man in the woods with them now. He reached out and jerked Alana to the right suddenly.

He was changing the plan.

The man was still calling out to a little girl that wasn't there. Alana and Wilhelm moved in sync with each other and with the man, waiting for him to make a move or to speak before continuing on, keeping low. The others were calling out to the man, calling out for Sophia, raising their voices. It bought Alana and Wilhelm just enough time to swing around the man while he was distracted. Lights streaked through the woods, the others now clearly in there with them. There was an overhang of earth in front of Wilhelm and he slipped under it, rifle in hand. Alana quickly swung up into a nearby tree, wiggling between the tangled branches that stretched out.

Wilhelm had not given any signal to fire and so she sat there, curled up at the center of the branches, eyes staring off to nowhere.

The man was getting closer, heading right for her tree and the overhang. He stopped under her as one of the others caught up with him. Once again the man with the determined step.

"What's going on?" the man asked in a strained whisper.

The man with the crossbow, Daryl, shook his head. "Thought I heard something."

"Sophia?"

He shook his head again. "Maybe just some more deer."

The newcomer stepped forward, standing atop the overhang, hands on his hips. He sighed heavily and turned around. "Let's head back. Carol's awake."

At those words Darly cringed slightly. More guilt.

"Couple more hours till sunrise, then we'll head out, to the other side. Whatever it was, wasn't Sophia, she would have come out by now, hearing us all." The man stepped past Daryl and headed back to the road. Daryl took one last look around then followed, crossbow still readied.

An hour before sunrise Wilhelm joined Alana in the tree, the packs hidden once more. He handed her a small bag of jerky and a bottle of water. The sky was beginning to lighten and Alana could see with a bit more clarity. She looked pointedly at Wilhelm when she saw just where exactly they were. They had only gone a bit further into the woods, but now they were directly in front of the man's, Daryl, truck.

And Daryl was staring out into the woods.

Wilhelm arched a brow at her and shrugged, taking a piece of jerky from the bag. The trees were a bit thicker in the patch they were in, he wasn't concerned with being seen.

Alana knew what the plan was now. Moving closer, they'd hopefully be able to hear what the plans of the group were. The man that had joined Daryl out in the woods had said himself that he doubted Sophia was on their side of the road. Soon as they went off in the other direction looking for that little girl Alana and Wilhelm would be able to move on. Judging by the members of the group, they'd either take everyone with them during the search, or leave two, maybe three behind to watch over their cars. Likely the elder man would be left behind, along with the black man with the wounded arm. The RV appeared to belong to the former and so it only made sense that he would stay behind. The other was wounded; there was no point in taking the wounded. Not in this heat. Wilhelm had noticed that only water had been poured on to his arm. An infection would set in soon, especially in this heat.

When the sun rose, Wilhelm had been right. The elder man and the wounded man were left behind. The one called Daryl was leading the group. The little girl's mother was coming along, held by the other mother. Along with the young boy.

Soon as the group had headed off into the woods Alana and Wilhelm began watching the two left behind. Didn't take long for the wounded man to show signs of the infection spreading. That's when they made their move, sliding out the tree and grabbing the packs. They started by heading further into the woods before turning right and heading down alongside the road. Once they got far enough ahead they'd get back on the road. Find a car worth taking and continue on. To where, neither had a clue.

They moved slowly, taking their time. The group would likely be gone all day. And if there were walkers in the woods they didn't want to bring any attention to themselves by stomping around hastily.

That plan went to hell when out there somewhere they heard church bells ringing.

No way of knowing if there were any walkers nearby and if so, how many, Wilhelm and Alana's choices of action quickly dwindled.

He thought back to conversations he had had with his father over the phone.

"_You must plan ahead. Do not be taken by surprise, by anything."_

He looked over at his sister, rifle gripped tightly in one hand, the other on the hilt of the machete at her waist. They had been coming across less people. Must mean they were either hiding out somewhere or they had become walkers. The latter seemed more likely to him.

It was time to make new plans.

It was time to join a group.

**That's it for this chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. Send me your reviews, I love reading them! Trying to decide how to introduce Alana and Wilhelm to the group, so send me your ideas. Which member of the group should be the one to meet them first? Send me all your ideas! I always reply to all reviews, I enjoy bouncing ideas off you guys I'll likely take the rest of the day to write out the next chapter, play around with different scenarios. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's the new chapter! Had a bunch of fun writing it. I know it's long, but I didn't want to break the action up right in the middle. **

**Enjoy!**

_Italics _= Speaking in German

Alana had frozen in spot, the echo of the church bells bouncing off the trees around her. She held her breath, listening for any response from the woods to the ringing. She welcomed the silence that followed. She moved to continue on when Wilhelm reached out, pulling the pack from her back off.

"This one is lighter," he said, handing her the one he had slung over his shoulder. He grabbed the other pack she had been carrying over her left shoulder, pulling a bit of rope from an outside pocket. Alana stood rigidly as he tied it to the pack on her back. Once done she did the same for him. He had pulled two bottles of water from her top pack and tossed one to her. He swung his shoulders side to side, making sure the packs were set and ready. Pulling on her packs he checked his roping on them. He held the bottle in one hand, rifle in the other. Taking a quick drink he checked his watch. Just a bit past 10AM. Wilhelm decided one hour would do it. "Watch the woods. I'll watch the road."

It wasn't smart, running through the woods. Their energy would be spent quickly. Midday was close and no amount of shade from the treetops would do them any good with keeping them cool. A few times Alana would begin to slow down. Wilhelm only stopped long enough for her to catch up, and then he'd take up the rear, pushing her on. If she was hating him for having them run for an hour straight she was doing a fine job of not showing it. Every now and then Wilhelm would look back, towards the road. He checked his watch twice. Alana had had a watch as well, but every time Wilhelm looked at her she was checking it. Everyone knew time purposely slowed down when you were looking at it, so he made her toss it.

The hour had nearly gone by when Alana's bottle ran dry. That's when Wilhelm stopped running. He took a sip from his bottle; it was just under half full. He handed it to Alana and she chucked her empty one to the ground. She paced herself while drinking. No point in chugging the last of it and collapsing. While she nursed the bottle Wilhelm went through her pack of clothes. He pulled out two pairs of sunglasses and baseball caps. He stared at the two pairs of sunglasses, both women's, trying to decide which ones he wanted to wear. Both were black, both, as he called them, "bug-eyed." He went with the pair that was tad bit smaller. He put the other pair on Alana and gave her the dark green cap. He took the blue one.

"_How do I look?" _he asked jokingly.

"_Like a tourist."_

"I think we're all tourists now. _Come on, we get back on the road now."_

Wilhelm held up the rifle, looking through the scope to the road, pausing at each car, checking. He nodded his head to himself then started off towards the road. As the reached the edge of the woods Alana stopped.

"_Where are we going?"_

Wilhelm looked back at her, eyes betraying his will to hide his desperation. _"Back to the road."_

"_And then what? What are we doing Wilhelm? What are you doing?"_

He rubbed his head through the cap and pushed the sunglasses up his nose. "Do you trust me?"

Alana nodded.

"_There's too many of them now. We were good on our own before, but now, there's too many. Strength in numbers, yeah?"_

Alana nodded. "We're going back to that group." It wasn't a question. She did want to question _why_ her brother would suddenly change his mind on joining a group. The only times they had joined a group was when they had no choice, when a group found them. Here, they had a chance to continue, to get away. She had known the moment Wilhelm had begun running what he was doing. Why he kept her running, wouldn't let her stop. She knew why they had stayed put so long this morning, watching the two men still on the road. He was trying to figure them out. And figure them out he did.

As usual, Wilhelm had a plan.

And his plans never failed.

It wasn't long after the church bells had abruptly ceased that Alana and Wilhelm heard a gunshot. Wilhelm didn't falter and so neither did Alana. There was still time to turn around. But as Alana knew, the time to turn around had passed the moment Wilhelm decided on a plan.

Any walkers that may have been there were gone. Likely joined up with the herd when it passed by. Nevertheless brother and sister still kept their eyes on each corpse they encountered, watching to see if it would move. And they never walked too closely to the cars, wary of one dragging itself out for a quick bite. It happened a lot at the beginning. People were so busy with the ones walking towards them, they never saw the ones dragging their entrails across the ground to take a chunk out of some ankles.

Though Alana ultimately trusted her brother's decisions, trusted him to do whatever the right thing was for them, she still wondered about his head. What went on in there. Wondered if he ever stopped turning choices over in there to have a blank moment. She found herself wondering what it was like to have a moment of nothingness. Only the foolish took a moment to think of nothing nowadays. Far as she saw it, it wasn't worth it, to not constantly be thinking, planning. Didn't stop her from wondering what it would be like though.

She looked over at Wilhelm. He caught her looking and acted silly, panting with his tongue sticking out like a dog. Then he laughed. He was seventeen years older than her, his 42nd birthday had passed last month. Hers was coming up soon. He carried a small personal planner; it had one of those pages with the dates for the next three years in it along with the current year. He would mark in it lightly with a pencil everyday, keeping track. Something as mundane as the date was now something that helped to keep a semblance of a normal world intact.

"_Don't look so sour,"_ he told her, playfully shoving her shoulder. _"We want these people to like us." _

"And how do we know they will like us?"

Wilhelm exhaled loudly. He stopped walking and looked up ahead. They'd be coming into sight of the RV soon. Glancing at Alana he ran his hands over his face. With his gruff stubble he was sure he didn't look like a welcomed sight. Motioning for Alana to turn around he began rummaging through the clothing pack for a piece of cloth. He also grabbed a brush. He began wiping at Alana's face and arms, making sure to not be rough, but also needing to get the dirt and grime off the best he could.

"_The group won't be back from looking for that girl till later. If that shot was them finding a walker, they're still looking. If it was them shooting the little girl, the mother is with them, she wouldn't let them leave without burying her. Either way, we have time to make it to that RV. The old man will be easy to win over. We have medicine, we have you. You will take a look at the other man's arm, we have plenty of medication. When that old man sees us and our packs he'll think we're their salvation. And when you help that other man…doesn't matter if when the group returns they want us gone. That old man won't allow it. And that mother. Tomorrow will be two days her little girl has been missing. You know what that means. If they come back today without her, that is our advantage. That mother will be empty. She'll look at you and see her daughter. See someone who she can care for. If the group tries to send us away she'll see it as they're sending her little girl away."_

Wilhelm had finished cleaning her up and had brushed her hair back into a smooth ponytail to the side. Placing the brush and small towel back in the packs he looked at her once more. It was cruel, what they were doing, injecting themselves into that group at a moment of weakness. He didn't mean for it to be cruel. He only meant for them to survive.

As they made their way down the road again they began to spot familiar cars and soon the RV came into view. The old man was still atop it. The other was likely inside or leant up against a car nearby, the heat and infection getting to him. Wilhelm told her to keep the barrel of her rifle aimed at the ground, not to raise it unless a walker appeared. He did the same.

They were too far away to see the man's face, but they could tell when he had turned around and spotted them. At first he stood still, rifle lax in his hands. Then he picked up the binoculars and stared out at them. He must have called out to the other man, he came gingerly out from inside the RV and looked out over the road to where the old man was pointing towards them.

Wilhelm raised his hand up in the air, waving.

"_Just one. We only need one to trust us," _he said to Alana.

For a moment Alana said nothing, then she smirked. "Do you think they have any CD's?"

Alana kept her head down, tired, barely picking her feet from the ground as they moved along. They had passed their tipped car. Their rifles were slung over their shoulders, hand nowhere near the triggers. They could hear the two men talking. When they were 30 feet from the RV the old man called out, holding up his own rifle, though not taking aim.

"You can stop right there…who are you?" he asked with uncertainty, trying to figure out what was on their backs.

Wilhelm spoke up, keeping an eye on the other man who was leaning against the RV, his face covered in sweat and his eyelids heavy.

"I'm Wilhelm. This is my sister, Alana."

"What you doing in Georgia?" the other man questioned.

"We're German. We were backpacking when…well when this happened," Wilhelm answered, waving his hands out to the graveyard of cars they were in. "We tried to get through, from the other side, we had a car, but just the two of us, it was too hard. We've been on foot for a couple days now."

"Did you see any walkers?" the old man asked. Bit by bit he had been lowering his rifle, his stance relaxing.

"A herd," Alana said. "Maybe fifty or so. We ran into the woods and hid." The man nodded.

"Did you…did you see a little girl?"

Wilhelm scrunched his brow up. "Little girl? In the herd?"

The man sighed. "Anywhere. Blue shirt, hair about to here."

Wilhelm shook his head. "No, I am sorry, you're the first live people we've seen in," he pulled out the planner and looked through it, "almost three weeks."

"What's in those packs?" the other man asked, stepping forward, his wounded arm held up against his chest.

"T-Dog," the other man called out. Wilhelm pushed Alana behind him.

"Were you bitten?" he asked the man that was coming towards them, droplets of sweat rolling down his head and into his eyes. He rubbed them away with his good arm.

"No. No he wasn't bitten! Don't shoot him!" Wilhelm removed his hand from his rifle, still keeping Alana behind him. "The walkers came through here, he cut his arm on a car trying to hide from them. And…and we lost someone. A little girl, Sophia. The rest of our group is out trying to find her. She was chased into the woods yesterday."

T-Dog was still trying to make his way over to Wilhelm and Alana, leaning on cars as he walked. "Shut up Dale," he said with exhaustion.

"We have supplies, medical. My sister can help him," Wilhelm said to Dale.

"Keep moving, get out of here," the man said, trying to keep his balance. "They'll just steal the RV from us Dale, take it for themselves."

Dale looked at a loss for words and actions. He looked around, no sign of walkers. No sign of the group. T-Dog was delirious, the infection in the wound and blood getting worse. Even if the rest of the group came back, what could they do for T-Dog? They had no medications, nothing that T-Dog actually needed to get better. It was only him and T-Dog and he wasn't in any right state to make a decision.

"What did you do before this?" he asked Alana and Wilhelm.

"We were in the German defense forces. I was army. Alana was medical."

Dale thought she looked young. And tired. And for a moment it didn't matter whether or not she had a rifle over her shoulder or a machete at her waist. It didn't matter that beside was a man could easily over both him and T-Dog. If more walkers came it would be up to Dale to stand ground.

All that mattered in Dale's mind was very simple.

Strength in numbers.

"Help him into the RV."

T-Dog protested but it was meek. Wilhelm lead him back to the RV, pushing him up the steps. He took his packs off and left them outside. Alana removed hers as well, digging through the proper one and pulling put everything she would need. Dale peered over the side of the RV, watching she gathered items into her arms. She looked up and saw him.

"Watch the roads," was all she said before disappearing into the RV.

Dale could hear T-Dog inside, cursing as the wound was cleaned and bandaged with sterile cloths. He heard Alana say that stitches might be needed. T-Dog protested at that statement. Alana said something in German and her brother laughed lightly. From the shuffling inside Alana was moving around.

She stepped back outside and looked up to Dale.

"Have you given him anything, any medicine?" she asked while squatting down by the packs and going through one again.

"Just something to try and lower the fever," Dale answered, fishing a bottle from his pockets and tossing it down to her. She looked over the label. "Do you have antibiotics?"

She nodded her head. "But this heat will not help. It'll prolong the infection." She turned to the RV door when Wilhelm stepped out.

"We can't move. The rest of our group is still out there."

"When will they be back?" Wilhelm asked.

"Before nightfall I would hope."

"He needs to eat. It'll help his strength. Has he eaten?" Alana asked. Dale shook his head, not that he was aware of. She spoke to Wilhelm in German, asking if it was alright if they gave T-Dog a pack of Ramen Noodles. He'd need to eat something heavy. Wilhelm agreed. "We have noodles. I'll make him some." Alana picked through the food pack, taking a small pot and bag of noodles. She remembered the truck of water bottles they had passed so she walked back to it to fill the pot.

Dale watched in a sort of awe as the young woman moved back and forth with ease. Wilhelm had asked if the stove in his RV worked. He shook his head and apologized. Wilhelm only smiled. He grabbed his rifle and headed into the woods. He never went out of sight, picking up twigs and such. At the side of the road he gathered rocks, forming a little circle with them and sticking the twigs in it. He came back to the RV, ruffled through a pack, pulled out a magazine and began tearing the pages out as he made his way back to the side of the road. He lit the little fire with a lighter from a pocket.

Alana stood at his side, holding the pot of water and the bag of noodles. Once the small fire was going he took the pot from her. He said something to her then handed it back to her. She leisurely made her way back to the water truck, filling the pot to the rim. After handing it over to Wilhelm again she headed for the RV. She looked up at Dale with grey eyes.

"Would you like some noodles?"

"You know, I can't remember the last time I had noodles," he laughed. Alana nodded her head and pulled two more bags from a pack. "Thank you," he called out to her. She stopped and turned around.

"You're welcome."

When the noodles were ready Dale instructed Wilhelm where to find bowls and forks in the RV. T-Dog was given the largest amount. Dale remained on the top of the RV, so Wilhelm and Alana joined him. They both waved him off when he offered them the folding chair. They sat contently on the roof, legs crisscrossed, just like in school.

They ate in silence until Dale spoke up. "Earlier today, we heard a gunshot. That wasn't either of you, by chance, was it?"

Wilhelm said no. "We heard it too. Thought it must have been you when we saw you up here."

"Someone from your group maybe?" Alana asked, twirling the noodles around her fork. Dale shrugged his shoulders.

"Possibly. Normally I would be concerned, but…"

"It was only one shot," Wilhelm spoke up for him. Dale nodded. "One shot is always better than two."

All three were thinking the same thing. One shot may have been better than two, but it still meant someone or something had been shot. Dale tried to imagine Sophia as one of those things, but he couldn't. He mentally slapped himself for thinking it was even possible. They'd find her, he was sure of it. They'd come back soon, Sophia with them.

"Are you two carrying around your entire lives in those packs?" he asked Alana and Wilhelm, shaking himself from his thoughts.

"What's left of it," Wilhelm mused. He held up a hand, counting each pack. "One for food, one for clothes, two for protection." Alana was happy when Dale didn't push what was in the last two bags. Happy when he didn't ask to see the first two either.

Daylight wouldn't be lasting much longer, maybe two hours. The group would be arriving soon. At least that's what Dale told himself. They had finished their noodles a couple hours earlier. Alana had gone down to check on T-Dog then returned, rifle and binoculars in hand. Wilhelm carried rifle over his shoulder, walking back and forth along the road.

"I don't mean to be rude" Dale began, speaking to Alana. She was looking over the front side of the RV, he watching the back. "But when the others get back, well, these last couple of days haven't been easy for us. I'm not sure how they'll take to seeing two new faces here."

Alana looked back from her binoculars, a solemn look on her face. "Would it better if we leave before they get back?"

Dale felt horrible. "No, no I didn't mean you had to leave. We wouldn't send you and your brother away." Alana nodded slightly. "I'll talk to Rick when he gets here. He's, well I suppose the closest thing we have to a leader. Like I said, the past days haven't been easy, but he'll listen. He's a good man like that."

Wilhelm came and joined them on top the RV. T-Dog was asleep in the RV, able to get some rest as the medication Dale had given him earlier for the fever had begun to kick in. Over the next hour Dale told Wilhelm and Alana about the others in the group. There was Rick, he had been a police officer. His wife Lori and son Carl were with him. Lori was the unofficial First Lady of the group. A friend's of Rick's, also a police officer, was with the group. Shane. Dale didn't say much about him. There was Glenn, the young Asian boy Wilhelm and Alana had seen the day before. He was from Atlanta, used to deliver pizzas. Dale boasted of how Glenn was the best at getting in and out of places. There was Andrea as well. He had picked her and her sister Amy up, after the outbreak. Amy was gone though. She was bitten a couple days ago. The two could tell Dale was worried about Andrea. There was Daryl too. Dale strained to put in words the person that was Daryl. He admitted that though he was rough around the edges, if anyone could make it through all this it would be Daryl. Dale quickly mentioned Merle, Daryl's brother, and the incident that left him with one hand and on his own. Lastly he brought up Carol. And Sophia. Wilhelm apologized, saying that they hadn't seen the little girl while walking down the road. Dale nodded somberly. He said a few words about others that they had lost, Ed, Jim, Jacqui. Even Dr. Jenner and the events at the CDC. Wilhelm and Alana weren't surprised, their father had told them to expect centers like those to be deathtraps in the end.

The three were chatting away casually about their lives when rustling in the woods caught their attention. It came from where Sophia had run through. Could be the group returning, but Wilhelm and Alana weren't about to risk it. All three were staring in, whatever it was, it was still to far back to be seen through the brush and trees, even with the binoculars. Wilhelm motioned to Dale to stay on the RV as he and Alana climbed down. They both left their rifles and binoculars up there with him. While Wilhelm closed the door to the RV Alana pulled out a baseball bat and the crossbow. No use of the rifles unless absolutely necessary. She cocked the crossbow and loaded an arrow in it; she kept fitting arrows in the slot until she found one that fit. The machete was still at her waist.

With a nod to Dale the two crept across the road and into the woods. Wilhelm veered left, Alana right. They'd switch and meet in the center once further in the woods then head back for the road. Alana stayed low, never keeping her back facing one direction for long.

_Remember your training_. Her father's words to her. At the end of every call they made to him he would always tell her the same thing. _Remember your training._

Whatever had been making the noise stopped. Alana paused. When she heard the noise again she started moving towards it, fast.

There was shouting. A scream. Her brother yelling to her in German. _"Run!" _He meant to the road, but Alana followed after his voice. There was small clearing and in it her brother. Surrounded by others. Those with weapons had them trained on him.

She didn't bother stopping and hiding, she kept moving, a plan forming as she got closer. She held the crossbow up to the person at the furthest edge of the clearing and closest to her. He finger gripped the trigger.

At the same instance that Dale shouted frantically from the road, "Stop!" Daryl swung around in place, staring down the end of an arrow trained up at him. No one budged until Dale came bustling through the woods and into the clearing, panting heavily. "They're ok! Don't shoot!"

The tension slowly faded. Alana lowered her crossbow first, turning on her heel and heading back to the road.

Everyone looked to Dale accusingly.

"Can we please just get back to the road first?" Dale asked, palms in the air.

The group obliged hesitantly.

In those few moments of chaos all thought had passed. It went unnoticed that Sophia was not with the group. It went unnoticed that Rick, Lori, Carl, and Shane were not with the group.

And it went unnoticed that Daryl's trigger hand had cramped.

**Whew! I spent all day writing this one! Hope you all enjoy it Send in your reviews! I use reading them as an excuse to not do any work haha. Can't wait to write the next chapter, wonder how everyone will get along back at the RV I'm thinking that Andrea and Alana should butt heads big time, what do you all think? And yes, I will be including the night scene where Daryl and Andrea find that hanging walker hehe, but of course they will have some German company, either just Alana or her and Wilhelm. Send in your ideas! **


	6. Chapter 6

**7/3/12 Note: Thank you to Anonymous for reviewing every chapter thus far! Your reviews are awesome! I try to take as long as possible to read each review (: **

**Trying to get as much written as possible before the semester starts back up. Just want to let everyone know that I will be trying to stick with the show's storyline as much as possible, though will be changing some things up here and there to fit in with this story. Right now I am debating whether to take a break on the story once I reach where the season stopped last year, then pick it up each week according to the new episodes, OR to say screw it all and do my own thing. Let me know what you all think, if you'd prefer I stick to canon or go my own way. I will, no matter what, follow along with nearly a majority of what has happened so far, so now worries of me going completely off the deepend haha. **

**Also, let me know if there are any events that took place in the show that you'd like to see changed. I've been pondering some things up, but first want to see what you lovely readers have on your mind about that While I'd prefer to stick to canon, I have no problem veering off track if the idea completely fits within the plot. **

**Thank you to everyone who has added this story and me to their Alerts. Thank you to everyone that has left a review, hope I didn't miss any of you in replying back **

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter, I've had fun writing it now that I have the chance to play around with more of the characters. I've done my best to keep everyone in character.**

**Since I'm one of those strange people that doesn't have the current episodes of Season 2 on hand, I'll be winging it when it comes to the dialogue that is in the show. **

_Italics _= Speaking in German

The group was silent on their trek back to the RV, their eyes on the backs of the two newcomers that walked alongside Dale. Carol, Andrea, and Glenn were keeping their distance. Daryl picked up the rear, crossbow still loaded and ready. The group slowed down further once back out on the road, seeing the packs tossed next to the RV and the casualness that the man and woman moved about, looking up and down the road. T-Dog was hanging out the door of the RV, drowsy from the infection and medicine.

"What are you people trying to do? Get that herd to come back?" he accusingly asked them. It took him quite an amount of energy just to string the words together.

"What's wrong with him?" Andrea asked Dale, looking steadily at Alana and Wilhelm. "And who are you two? Where did they come from?" she directed to Dale again. Wilhelm stepped forward.

"Your friend is sick. That cut on his arm, it's infected. My sister cleaned it out, gave him antibiotics." Wilhelm looked down his nose as he spoke to her.

"And food," T-Dog added, swaying slightly. Alana stepped forward, checking his forehead. The fever wasn't as bad as it had originally been. She had given him a large amount of antibiotics, likely just them taking a stronger affect. She turned round to Wilhelm.

"_Help him back in, he needs to lay down. I'll get some wet towels."_

Wilhelm stepped around Andrea and eased T-Dog back into the RV. Alana placed the crossbow on the ground and went through the packs. She heard a small gasp of joy, from Glenn, when they all spotted the pack full of nothing but food. She ignored the whispers that started. When she stood up, with a couple small towels in hand, Daryl had come forward, standing at the front of the group, Dale just a couple feet ahead. Alana walked past him on her way to the water truck. Once they thought she was out of earshot the whispers started again.

"Who are they?" Glenn asked.

"Wilhelm and Alana. From, well, Germany. Said they were backpacking when everything happened."

"How did they get here? On the road," said Andrea, hands on her hips as she watched Alana walking back to them.

"We came through this graveyard," Wilhelm answered, his frame filling the RV's doorway. Andrea jumped, tensing up at being caught.

"How long is the road blocked for?" Glenn asked.

Wilhelm shook his head. "Not short enough to be worth driving through. A mile in, we left our car behind, started walking."

"They saw the same herd of walkers like us," Dale added.

At this Carol looked up. She had been standing there, next to Andrea, arms wrapped round herself, looking pointlessly at the ground. "Did you see a little girl? Did you see my little girl?"

Alana came up beside her, brow furrowed slightly. "No little girls." She looked at Dale then back to Carol. "Her name is Sophia?" Carol nodded with a sad smile. Alana did her best to smile back. "We didn't see Sophia."

"That's good though," Wilhelm interrupted. "Means she's still out there." When no one corrected him he knew that meant what whatever that lone shot was for earlier it wasn't for Sophia.

Carol nodded again. She wiped at her eyes, blotching them with the neck of her shirt. "You're from Germany?" she asked, trying to put the thought out of head that Sophia was still out there alone. "What were you doing over here? Backpacking?"

Alana nodded, moving to hand the wet towels to Wilhelm before turning back to Carol. "We were in the army there. I had just finished my term. Was going to go back in, but Wilhelm talked me into coming here with him. Travel around."

As Carol continued to ask questions Alana could see Glenn staring longingly at the packs. Though she had closed them all he still knew which one held the treasured food supply. He had seen a bag of Cheetos.

"Are you hungry?" she asked him, which startled him more than a deer hearing a twig snap. He started stammering, shaking his hands in front of him. Alana grabbed the pack, dragging it forward. She opened the flap and held it open to the people before her. Glenn sheepishly pulled the Cheetos out, mumbling a "thanks" before stepping back. Carol took a candy bar, Andrea took nothing. Daryl looked suspiciously in the pack, like he was waiting for something to jump out at him. He raised a brow.

"Got any jerky?" he asked. Alana shoved her hand down into the pack. She pulled it back out along with an unopened bag of jerky.

"There's some deer jerky, but it's probably at the bottom," she told him. He just nodded and stepped away from her. He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and tore the bag open.

That's when Dale piped up, asking, "Where are the others?"

No one answered. Daryl chewed a piece of jerky before speaking. With Rick and Shane gone it looked like he was in charge.

"Some girl on a horse came an' took Lori, said Carl had been shot. Took 'er back to some house down the road. Rick an' Shane are there too, 'cording to the cowgirl."

Dale looked over to Wilhelm and Alana. Stepping closer to them he asked, "Would you two mind taking watch?" He shifted his eyes back to the others in his group. Wilhelm nodded. Dale handed his binoculars over to Alana. The group watched as the two climbed up on top the RV. Dale had thought of stepping into the RV, but remembered the window hatch inside. He motioned for the group to follow him away from the RV.

Using his hands as emphasis, Dale asked what exactly happened in the woods. Again, Daryl answered between bites of jerky. Glenn nodded his head from time to time as Daryl recounted the events of the day. The church bells had been on a timer. No sign of Sohpia, only some walkers. Rick had decided that the group should head back and wait till tomorrow to search again. Rick, Shane, and Carl had stayed behind to do a checkover before following. That's when they heard the shot, but kept moving on. A bit later a woman came riding up on a horse, saying that Carl had been shot and Lori needed to come with her. The woman had said there was a farm, just a bit back down the road. Carl was being taken there for her father to help him. Name was Greene. There was a mailbox on the side of the road. Rest of the group was supposed to backtrack to there.

"We can't leave. My baby is still out there," Carol objected. Her arms were still crossed, the candy bar grasped in one hand unopened. She had only taken it to be polite. In the back of her mind she thought it would be nice to have, for when Sophia came back.

"I don't want to leave her out there either Carol," Dale began, "but we're separated right now. The group is weak."

No one wanted to come straight out and make the decision to leave and make for the farm. Daryl felt a bit sick to his stomach, knowing he'd be the only one willing to make the call. "We'll stay the night on the road." When looked at him with appreciation Daryl looked up from the ground where he had been staring at his shadow. "We can rig a big sign, let her know to stay here an' wait for us to come back for 'er. Leave some supplies for 'er too. We can head to that farm tomorrow."

"Thank you," Carol said quietly.

Everyone agreed to the plan, but Dale added that T-Dog needed to get to the farm that day. Though the medication Alana had given him would work, being cramped up in the RV and in the heat wouldn't be doing him any good.

"Glenn, you should take the wagon, get him to the farm." Glenn argued against the idea, leaving fewer people stuck on the road, already forgetting that Wilhelm and Alana would be there. At that point everyone's minds came back to the brother and sister. Each stole glances up at the RV. Alana sat in the chair, looking out past them. With those sunglasses they couldn't tell if she was staring at them, so they quickly looked away. Wilhelm had his back to them, keeping watch back down the road.

"I take it they're staying here with us then," Andrea said with exasperation.

"Yes," Dale said with force. "They could have kept walking right on past us. Could, could have taken the RV. They're carrying a small army on their backs in those bags. But they didn't. They stopped and helped T-Dog, shared their food with us." When everyone remained silent he continued, "You can think what you want, but I know…I'll sleep better knowing those two are here. Look at us, they're the next best protection we have out here after Daryl."

It was unanimous amongst them all aside from Daryl that Dale was right. Daryl was the best protection the entire group had. A natural survivalist. And now they had just acquired two more. Didn't want to admit it, but they could use all the help they could get. And they could see it being easier to ask Wilhelm or Alana for help rather than Daryl.

The group walked over to the RV. Dale went in with Glenn to help T-Dog out and into the wagon. Neither Wilhelm nor Alana asked what they were doing, just kept their eyes on the road. Afterwards Andrea went into the RV and stayed there along with Carol. Carol had come back out for a moment, to hand a canteen of water up to Alana who gladly accepted it. She tried to smile her biggest smile to her, to get Carol past that meek smile of her own, but it didn't work.

Dale climbed up on the RV and stood near Wilhelm, relaying the decisions the group had made. Daryl had walked off, going through the cars they hadn't reached the day before, gathering things here and there. Each time he turned back to look at the RV, Alana was there, hiding behind those ridiculous sunglasses. Made her look like a fly. And Wilhelm just looked like a big old ape with ridiculous sunglasses. Things even looked like they belonged a girl. The two made Dale look normal, even with that stupid hat of his.

"What do you do at night?" Wilhelm asked Dale, already knowing the answer, but needing to keep up appearances.

"We take turns. Someone sits up here, looking. After a couple of hours someone else comes up."

"How long are the watches?"

Dale shrugged. "Four hours? Well, it depends, on who's at watch. Usually we just sit up here till we start falling asleep then go down and get someone else to take our place."

"Who usually keeps watch?" Wilhelm quickly added, as precaution, "I only ask to make sure we are not in your way. Alana and I switch every three hours. We can help if you'd like."

Dale smiled. "Well normally the men keep watch." At this Dale looked apologetically at Alana. "I mean no offense, just that none of the women in our group are…"

"Army brats," Wilhelm chimed in with a wide grin. When Alana laughed Dale felt it was safe to laugh as well.

The laughing died out when Andrea exited the RV. She had a small bag with her as she climbed over the railing and headed into the woods. Once out of earshot Dale said, "Restroom." Wilhelm and Alana nodded.

"I don't think she likes us much," Alana said amusingly to Dale.

"There isn't much she does like these days it seems. Listen…it's not my place to ask this of you guys, but your weapons, what exactly do you have?" Wilhelm proceeded to list off what they had, the guns, rifles, silencers, knives, axes…he was sure he had miss some things. He and Alana were always finding random things at the bottom of the bags. He had told Alana once that the bottom of those packs was like Narnia; whenever something went missing in the world he said it went to Narnia.

"Would you like to trade that rifle in for a new one?" Wilhelm asked jokingly.

Dale laughed with a bit of force. "No, no, I'll stick to what I know. I ask because, now I know it's your choice if you want to lend or give any of your weapons out. All I ask is that you don't give anything to Andrea. She's still…she's not right in the head. After Amy died, she changed. I look at her and that look on her face. It's like she's given up. Can't trust that she wouldn't try to…" Dale trailed off, but Wilhelm understood what he was trying to say. "Probably be best if you didn't offer any weapons to any of just yet."

"Maybe she just needs some sort of semblance of safety. Maybe she'll find it at this farm," Wilhelm offered, patting Dale on the back. With Andrea returning from the woods Wilhelm asked Dale if he'd like for him to take a watch that night. He objected, saying it wasn't necessary. Wilhelm pointed out that there were only three men in the group now and Dale agreed. "I can take first watch, if you don't mind."

It was agreed that Wilhelm would take the first watch, then Dale, then Daryl. Dale, though grateful of Alana's offer to take a watch, felt guilty at having her stay awake up on the RV by herself. After a bit of discussion as to how the group carried out their watches, what to do if walkers were spotted, etc., Wilhelm climbed down from the RV, heading for the nearby truck Daryl had slept in the night before. He laid out in the truck-bed, saying he would get some sleep now before his watch. He told Dale it was better to get some rest before nightfall, that when it'd come time for a watch he would be more energized. Dale said he would be sure to remember that advice.

As night began to fall Daryl returned from wandering the road. He had found a backpack and filled it with random bits of food, first aid items, couple pocket knives, and a handful of lighters. There was even a pack of cigarettes, nearly full. That he had shoved in his back pocket. Not a chance in hell was he going to share those with the group.

Dinner was more noodles courtesy of Alana and Wilhelm, the latter who was still napping in the bed of the truck. They split three bags amongst the six of them.

"You and your brother, what did you do back home? You were in the army?" Carol asked, breaking the silence. Wilhelm had woken up and taken his bowl of noodles up to the roof of the RV with him. The rest sat crammed inside. Carol in the back on the small bed, Dale and Andrea at the tiny table, Alana propped up on the small counter, and Daryl in the driver's seat. He was sitting sideways, looking down at his food while he listened.

"Army. I started off in the medical field, but requested to be transferred over. I ended up being put under my brother's command."

"She was a horrible soldier," Wilhelm shouted down through the window hatch. Dale and Carol laughed.

"He's a liar. I was the best soldier he had." Alana took a mouthful of noodles then held up her hand. "To graduate, from training, we were dropped off in the middle of nowhere…maybe, fifty miles from the nears town. And we had to find our way back, report to a small post that they had set up there. I was the first one from my group to make it back. I thought I had so much time ahead of the others, instead of reporting to the post, I went straight home, made myself a sandwich. Wilhelm calls the house, someone in town had said they saw me walking down the street, in my camis, looking like shit. So I finish my sandwich, head to the post, and I still had 8 hours before the next person arrived."

"Would have been more if you hadn't gone and made that sandwich!"

"_I was hungry!" _Alana shot back at Wilhelm. She looked at the others with a blank stare before it hit her. "I was hungry." The group smiled and laughed, except for Daryl.

"What happened to your family?" Andrea had asked later as they were cleaning up.

"They're holed up in their home. Father had gone and gotten our grandmother. It hadn't spread to Germany yet, but he said there were reports of it within Europe." Alana kept her head down as she washed the dishes, her voice void of emotion.

"You think they're still alive?"

Dale looked to Andrea, wanting to scold her for asking such a question in front of Carol. Talking about family wasn't something she needed to hear at that moment. Alana could feel the tension that had come with Andrea's questions.

"We're still alive, why can't they be too?" she retorted. She headed outside before Andrea could say anything else. She said goodnight to Wilhelm as she dragged the four packs into the RV. They stacked them on the table. Dale offered to sleep on top of the RV, so there'd be more space for everyone else.

Carol was given the small bed without word. Andrea laid on the floor in front of her. Alana was given the small hallway while Daryl laid out between the driver and passenger seats.

It wasn't long before they could hear the sniffles coming from Carol. For a while no one said anything, made any movements. Just tried to pretend they didn't hear it. Really the last thing any of them wanted to do was baby her. After a couple of hours, with the sniffling still going, Alana quietly sat up. She looked over at Carol's back, seeing her shoulders heaving slowly.

As she went to lay back down she saw Daryl stand up. He was looking down in one of the cabinets. He pulled out a large flashlight. Andrea was sitting up as well now.

"Gonna go out in the woods, shine the light round, give her something to follow," Daryl said in a low whisper. Carol turned around at this words, her sniffling suddenly stopping. She might have said thank you, but her hand blocking her mouth as she rubbed at her eyes and nose. Daryl only nodded at her before turning around. He grabbed his crossbow from the driver's seat. Now that everyone was awake he didn't bother with slowly opening the RV door.

"Wait," Alana called out, scrambling to her feet and rolling over the packs on table, feeling at them to find the one she wanted. She wasn't surprised when she exited the RV to find that Daryl had indeed not waited. Looking up she saw Wilhelm watching as Daryl walked away. _"He's going to look for the girl, shine a light in the woods like an idiot."_

Wilhelm began to ask if she had grabbed the night vision goggles, but Alana held a pair up at him, a devilish grin on her face. She slung her rifle over her shoulder and jogged off after Daryl.

"I said 'wait,'" she told him when she caught up with him.

"Nah, you said 'vait.'"

Alana scoffed, "Yes and you seem to have forgotten a few letters in your pronunciations, but choose to overlook that."

"Why the hell you following me?" he asked as if she was putting an actual physical strain on him.

"Because I don't want anyone or anything following you back here after you get done waving your shiny light around out here. These," she said, holding out the goggles, "would serve your purpose much better."

"I ain't going to look like no bug-eyed fool with those on."

"I never said you could wear them in the first place."

"Daryl!"

"Just fuckin' great," he muttered, turning around to see Andrea rushing towards them. "Now I gotta babysit both of ya'll?" Immediately after saying it he knew he only partly meant it. He reckoned that the little army brat could take care of herself. He hadn't forgotten what had happened that day, how she had snuck up on him. On him. Daryl Dixon. A little girl had snuck on him and there was no way he would have come out of that situation alive if Dale hadn't come rushing in to save the day.

Andrea came up to them, looking at Daryl, waiting for him to keep moving. He looked at both of them, but kept his eyes on Andrea when he said, "You best not slow me down or I'll leave yer ass out there."

**Gonna end this chapter here folks! While I had wanted to get to the poetic hanging walker in this chapter, I decided that I want to save that bit for the next chapter. There's some extra stuff I want to put in during this night scene along with some extra stuff for after they get back to the RV. Next chapter may just focus on the latter half of this night bit, not sure yet, just depends on how much I'm able to get out of what I have left to write. But by Chapter 8 we should be on the farm with the rest of the group and Hershel. Annnnnnnnd I'm planning to get the current episodes of the show so that I can watch them and figure things out my storyline so it matches up with the show. **

**Also, I know I know, or at least I think I know, I need to work on Daryl's voice. I didn't want to go all out on it just yet since I've never tried writing in dialects before. But I will for sure be working on it and more than likely coming back and editing chapters where he has dialogue that needs fixing. Please let me know what you think about his dialogue, should I add to it, leave it plain (since we all know what he sounds like). I'll be taking a look at different stories on here as well so I can see how they approached writing his dialogue. **

**Thanks to every one who is reading this story and leaving reviews! **

**I'll hopefully have another chapter up tomorrow **


	7. Chapter 7

**Downloaded the episodes from Season 2 so I could watch them again and get an idea for the dialogue, though I will be writing everything in my own words, don't want you guys getting tired of reading a copy and paste of the tv scripts. **

**Here's some Daryl/Alana interaction with a dash of Andrea as well. **

**Enjoy! **

They had been trekking through the woods for an hour, Daryl leading the way. Alana picked up the rear, Andrea between the two of them. Daryl would look back now and then to see Alana, eyes never staying in the same place for long. She'd pick up the night vision goggles, looking at something, then keep moving on. She had the butt of her rifle pressed into her shoulder, ready to snap it up at the slightest sound.

Andrea, sure she was looking everywhere just as he and Alana were, except she wasn't seeing a damn thing, not with her head snapping left and right at that speed. She was trying to step in the same places as he was. Woman was trying too damn hard. He was regretting not sending her ass back to the RV. At least with Alana all he had to worry about was her trying to put those stupid goggles on him. And trying to understand that accent.

Andrea began lamenting about Sophia being out in the woods alone, unable to fathom how scared she possibly could be. If anyone asked, she hoped that they would find Sophia, that she would be okay. But she also knew the possibility that Sophia was already dead; she just chose to ignore it.

"She's fine," Daryl said, "I was younger than her when I got lost." Though he had to suffer a glare from Alana he had turned on his flashlight. When she said nothing about it Andrea pulled her smaller light out from a worn sling purse she had brought with her.

"She's only 12," Andrea countered.

Daryl and Alana scoffed. He shot a glance back at her, but Alana was too busy looking around, no doubt reliving her commando days of glory he thought. "Hell, I was younger than that when I got lost. Nine days wanderin' the woods on my own. No one came lookin' for me."

"Not even Merle?" Andrea asked, picking up the pace to walk alongside him.

"Doing a stint in juvi'. No one even knew I was gone. Had to find my own way back, eating berries and wiping my ass with poison oak. Finally found my way back to home, walked right on in to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. Wasn't any worse for the wear. Well, 'side from my itchy ass."

A few second passed in silence, then Andrea began to snicker. When Daryl shot her a glare she held up a hand to her face, trying to cover the smile. "What, you think my itchy ass is funny?"

"It is," Alana piped up, "just trying to imagine a young you sitting in the kitchen eating a sandwich…rubbing his bottom on the chair." At that Andrea stopped trying to hold the laughter in any longer, though she did her best to keep it quiet. She hadn't completely forgotten that the world had gone to hell.

"And what, you mean to tell me you ain't never got the itches running round playing commando?" The terrain was becoming jagged, large loosened rocks all over the place. Daryl and Andrea stopped so that Alana could catch up with them.

"Of course I did, but I knew better than to go around rubbing my ass on everything. I just got it on my face when I decided to make a pillow out of leaves. Woke up and the whole left side of my face was swollen. But I knew better than to scratch at it."

"What did you do then huh? Go home and put ice on it?"

"No. I'd just slap myself each time I wanted to scratch it."

Andrea snickered.

"It worked. By the end of the day I had an imprint of my hand on my face. The others in my squad nicknamed me Slappy after that."

"Thought Germany didn't have an army," Daryl muttered.

"Though I'm sure the world enjoyed thinking so, we were not all Nazis, buying our children Easy-Bake ovens for their birthdays. We always get those for Christmas."

Andrea's laughing was cutoff by a creaking noise. Alana's posture became more rigid as she and Daryl stepped forward, crossbows up. Up ahead they could see a tent. It looked like only person had been there, the zipper to the tent half opened. Outside of it was a chair and a poorly built fire pit. Alana peeked into the tent. Nothing worth taking back to the RV. A barely audible gasp from Andrea had her swirling around.

Daryl was shining his light up in a tree. A rather large walker was in it, swinging from a noose. Daryl scrunched his face up, looking the walker up and down. Andrea took a couple steps back, a hand on her knee as she tried to calm her nerves and stomach. A note stuck to the tree with a knife caught Daryl's attention.

"'Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit.' Dumbass. Didn't know it had to be the head." He shined the light on the legs of the walker, which were bare of meat, just a thread here and there still clinging to the bone. "Walkers must of shown up, ate the only bit they could reach."

"Can we change the topic please?" Andrea asked, looking paler.

Alana came up to the walker. "Didn't see a gun anywhere."

"Guess that explains hanging 'imself. Still a dumbass if you ask me." He watched as Alana took another step forward, poking at the walker's boney feet with her crossbow. It lashed out at her, thrashing from side to side as it tried to reach down and grab her. She only laughed at it.

"He's like one of those things, with the candy in it." She looked to Daryl for confirmation, unsure of what the name was.

"Pinata."

"Pinata," Alana repeated. It sounded funny with her accent. "Looks like they would have gotten to the candy if it was just a bit lower." She pointed to the walker's waist, where its insides could be seen through the torn skin and muscle.

Andrea made the mistake of looking up, Daryl's light shining directly on the spot. There wasn't much to throw up, but it came up anyways, followed by some dry-heaving.

"Why aren't we changing the topic?" she asked, a whine in her tone.

"Revenge," Daryl said, still looking at the walker as it thrashed and gnawed its teeth at Alana, "for laughing at my itchy ass."

"And my itchy face," Alana added.

"Nothing else here. Let's get back to the RV." Alana began to follow Daryl, walking past Andrea who was staring between them and the hanging walker.

"What about him?"

They turned around, confusion on their faces. They thought it was obvious, the walker was no threat to them.

"What 'bout him? Ain't doing no harm to anyone. His own damn fault, leave him up there to rot," Daryl said. When he saw the look on Andrea's face he asked, "Change your mind about not wanting to live?"

Alana watched in silence, unsure of what was happening. Dale had told her of Andrea's sister and the CDC, but it was difficult for her to grasp why someone would just want to give up like Dale felt that Andrea had done.

"An answer for an arrow," she told Daryl, watching the walker, its thrashing having not slowed down. When Daryl nodded she said, "I don't know. I don't know if I want to live."

Shaking his head Daryl held up the crossbow, taking aim. "Waste of an arrow," he muttered before sending the arrow through the walker's left eye. In an instance its thrashing has stopped. Only sound left was the low creak of the branch it swung from.

Alana stalked over to Daryl, shoving her crossbow and goggles at him. She murmured something in German before picking her way up the tree. Sliding a compact knife from a back pocket she cut the rope, the walker falling to the ground with a thud and clank of bones. She ripped the arrow from its head, shaking the bits of bone and brain away. Handing it to Daryl she took back her stuff.

"No excuse to waste an arrow," she said before heading off, leading the three of them out of the woods.

It wasn't till the reached the road that anyone spoke up. Dale was awake and on watch. He waved at them. Carol could be seen from inside the RV, staring out at them. When she saw that Sophia wasn't with them she quickly went to the back of the RV.

"Carol won't handle leaving tomorrow very well, not with Sophia still out there," Andrea said.

"Nothing can be done about it. We can't stay out here on the road like this, we'd be easy targets." Andrea stopped and looked at Alana with a sort of shock on her face, not understanding how someone who just joined their group would be daft enough to say such things. "I'm guessing you've had it easy," Alana started. "Haven't run into much trouble aside from walkers. You have no idea what's out there. People have changed. Willing to do anything to survive. It's not only the walkers you have to watch out for. All those end of the world films, what did they all have in them? It's not just the walkers eating people. Trust me, you don't want to come across that."

Andrea felt sick again. Daryl had been staring at his feet, shuffling as the discomfort Alana's words stuck in him.

"I'm sure it'd be best to not mention any of that to Carol," Alana said before walking away. Wilhelm was asleep on top of the RV. She climbed up to let him know she was back before coming back down and heading into the RV.

Andrea did her best to sleep for what remained of the night, trying to forget Alana's words. She was right though. All those apocalyptic films, at some point the cannibals showed up. Andrea was left questioning even more if she truly wanted to live in this world.

There was little over an hour before sunrise. Daryl had taken over watch, he wasn't too keen on getting much sleep. He was mulling over what Alana had said. It only added to the guilt. He wondered if Sophia had come across anyone that was alive. Could she trust them? What if they…no, it would do no good to think those things.

He sat in the chair, doing more thinking than looking. Wilhelm had gone down into the RV, asleep on the floor. He wouldn't bother with saying it, but he was wary of the brother and sister. He saw no reason to say anything about it though, not with Sophia missing. Besides it wasn't up to him. He was no leader. Only time he made a decision was when the group allowed him to. When they all turned to him for something.

He didn't hear the door open. Alana's figure in the corner of his eye shook him to attention. She quietly placed her crossbow on top the RV. She had three tubes slung over her shoulder. He watched as she came to sit in front of him. She held her crossbow out to him.

"Can you tell me which arrows I can use? I've just been using whichever ones seemed to fit."

Annoyed by her decision to come bother him and hoping she'd go away he said, "Thought you knew how to use it."

"I don't. I just know how to aim and shoot. We were in a rush and I just grabbed all the arrows I could. Quieter than a gun, much longer range than a bat or machete." She was still holding the crossbow up to him, splayed out in her arms like some sacrifice.

Daryl scanned over the road, actually hoping there would be something for him to shoot so he could ignore her. But there wasn't. Snatching the crossbow from her he looked it over. She held out a tube of arrows next, unscrewing the lid and pulling a few out. Some were shorter than others, some had silver tips, others black. Daryl guessed that she had at least five different types of arrows just in the one tube. He picked up the tube and studied the arrows, picking a few out.

"Any of these three will work." It was a simple answer. He didn't see the need to tell her the brands of the arrows, the models. Handing her them she twirled each one in her hands, nodding.

"Thank you," she said before scooting away to the edge of the RV. She opened up the other two tubes of arrows and carefully took them all out. Holding onto the three Daryl had given her she began picking each arrow up, one by one, comparing them. The ones that matched she placed to her right, the others on the left.

"Who's Merle? Is he your brother?"

The question surprised him. She had been sitting there for a while, going through the arrows. Those of the same brand could be difficult to tell apart depending on the model and so it was taking her longer to shift through the pile. But she never asked Daryl for help.

Her back was to him, but still Daryl shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah."

"Dale said something happened, in Atlanta."

"He got left behind."

"Did you go find him?"

"Tried to, he was already gone."

Alana didn't say anything right away, holding an arrow close to her face, trying to read the model number. "So he's still out there then." She turned around to look at him when he didn't answer.

"Probably. Doubt he'd be too happy to see me again."

"Why wouldn't he be happy?"

He was going to ask why she couldn't just be quite, but she had already turned back around, going through the arrows. Something about the scar that peaked out from her shirt and scratched its way up to through her hairline made him stop. It was healed over but still looked raw and angry.

"What's with that?" he asked. She looked back as he pointed to his own neck.

She took a moment to choose her words. "Some people, they weren't meant for this world. For what it has become." She went back to going through the arrows. "We were with a group. Four of them. We had just gotten out of Texas. Holed up in a motel. I was on watch, it was night. I had nodded off and next thing I know there's a car coming down the road. They were good people. Just scared. We let them stay with us in the room we had taken up. Didn't have a choice. We stayed there for a week when Wilhelm said we needed to keep moving, we were too close to the road and we couldn't risk more people passing by. The others, they didn't want to leave, they thought the motel was safe enough. Thought they could just hold it out there, wait for whatever salvation they had dreamt up in their minds."

"Taking it they stayed behind then."

Alana nodded stiffly. "Didn't have a choice. Wilhelm said we were leaving. He wanted to leave right that moment. One of them grabbed me. Put a knife to my throat. They wanted the packs. Only reason they really wanted us to stay. One of them had grabbed one of our guns, but the silly cow couldn't stop shaking, shot off a round into the ceiling. It was enough for Wilhelm. Gave me a moment to get away, but not enough. Still got me in the end. We killed them all and left."

The sun was coming up.

She had finished sorting through the arrows. Gathering everything she looked over the RV as the door opened and Wilhelm came out. He gave a quick wave of a hand before heading off to the woods.

She started heading down the ladder, stopping before she completely disappeared. "Are you going to tell the others?" Her face was blank, not a hint of pleading on it or in her voice. Yet all Daryl could hear was vulnerability.

Daryl could only shake his head.

Some people weren't meant for this world.

**Yay! Another chapter down! I was going to end it when they got back to the RV, but then thought up this extra scene ** **Hope you all enjoyed it. The next chapter is going to focus more on the entire group once they're reunited on the farm. Going to see how the rest of the group reacts to Wilhelm and Alana. There'll for sure be some that aren't too happy about the new additions to the group. **

**Let me know what you guys thought of the interaction between Daryl and Alana in this chapter. While I do think that Daryl would be standoff-ish towards people if someone tried to speak with him, I don't see him being rude like Merle would. He'd try to suck it up for as long as possible, then snap lol. **


	8. Chapter 8

**At last the group is reunited on the farm! **

**And no, I still don't own anything except Alana and Wilhelm and a pair of socks. **

_Italics _= Speaking in German

Everyone ate quietly the next morning. And slowly. Except Carol. She had been going through their small storage of food, setting things aside to leave behind for Sophia. The pile would grow and then dwindle down as she took things out then put them back. The only thing that stayed constant was the candy bar she had accepted from Alana.

Alana and Wilhelm sat outside, legs dangling off the end of the old truck. They shared half a bag of jerky. Though it looked like they sat there in silence they were just waiting till lifting a piece of meat to their mouths to speak.

"_It'll be best to get close to whoever lives on the farm,"_ Wilhelm told her. _"If it was ours, we wouldn't be too keen on newcomers showing up, would we?"_

"_Who's to say the two of us will have a better chance of getting an invitation to stay?"_

"_No one. Any one. If we're lucky everyone in this group will have a good head on their shoulders and we won't have anything to worry about. But the moment something goes wrong we need to be ready for it."_

Alana looked up as Daryl exited the RV, Carol, Andrea, and Dale behind him. They went to the car that Sophia had hidden under and placed the supplies on top the hood; food, water, blanket. Dale, having everything you wouldn't imagine in the RV uncapped a paint stick meant for cars. Alana and Wilhelm walked over as he was finishing up.

**Sophia stay here, we'll come back every day.**

Carol headed back to the RV without a word. It wasn't till she was inside that Wilhelm spoke up.

"Have you searched all the cars for supplies?"

"Yeah," Dale said, "First day here we looked around."

Wilhelm nodded, looking at the cars, doors ajar. "What about the trunks of the tipped over ones? Alana and I would do that, if we had to stop for something, we'd tip the car over, stuff everything in the trunk. We could go off for a couple days, come back, everything still in place."

Dale looked at him with shock, astonishment. He quickly remembered who Alana and Wilhelm were. Their training. "We started tipping them at the start. Everyone was running round, looking through the cars, but no one seemed to have the time for cars that were tipped over. Too much work."

Checking his watch Dale nodded. It was almost 8AM. "Don't wander too far. We'll leave in ten minutes." Wilhelm smiled, patting Alana on the shoulder as he walked off towards the cars. He took the left side, she took the right. Andrea went to stand atop the RV. She clung to a gun. Alana had no idea where it had come from. Then she recalled her talk with Dale and thought perhaps he had taken it from her but had chosen to give it back. Didn't matter. Alana was uncomfortable with the way she gripped the gun.

A car door slammed behind her and she saw Daryl, stalking off from a green Jeep. She looked over the tops of the cars for Wilhelm and saw him, a backpack already slung over his shoulder. She took her time picking through the cars. Most had already been picked through and only so many were actually tipped over. She looked to the Honda from time to time as she got closer. At the right moment she slowed down so that Daryl would ultimately choose the next tipped car. That left her with no choice but to move on to the Honda.

She took her time looking through the compartments, tossing a food wrapper or empty bottle over her shoulder. When they had tipped the car the front end tipped down the to ground, being heavier. Walking to the back she pulled at the trunk handle. When she felt the heaviness grow she called out to Daryl.

He looked up to see her nodding her head to the trunk, her arms strained as she attempted to keep it closed. He reached around to grab his crossbow but she shook her head. Once he got closer to spoke.

"Something is…sloshing in there." Without a word he slid his hand over the handle as Alana stepped back. She peeked in as he lowered the trunk slowly. She struggled to hold up the red containers that threatened to fall out. Using their legs to support the trunk they both were able to pull the containers out. Alana unscrewed the cap from one and smiled up wickedly at Daryl when the gasoline hit her nostrils.

The sloshing was like music to their ears as they walked back to the RV. Wilhelm whistled as he met up with them. Dale and Andrea joined in their small victory, going to RV and wagon's gas tanks and pouring some of the gasoline in. Daryl took the third container over to his motorbike. Wilhelm waited for them to return before showing off what he had found. Andrea had gone into the RV. To sit with Carol. She never said anything, but felt that at least sitting there was somehow helping Carol.

It was mainly just small things. Sunglasses, sun block, lotion, gum, cans of soda, likely flat. His smile widened when from the bottom of the backpack he pulled out packets of vitamins and two large containers of powdered protein. Alana let out an unflattering groan.

"_Your favorite!" _Wilhelm said to her. He waved the container in his hand. "Ah, strawberry flavor! We drank, so many of these, every meal of the day. Didn't risk trying to go into too many public places looking for food. So we survived on nothing but shakes for…_a month? _A month."

"What's wrong with ya? Don't know how to hunt?" Daryl asked. His questions were directed at both of them.

"It's been a long time since training. Besides, the only thing in abundance are squirrels and those bastards are too fast." Daryl looked at Alana smugly after her comment, a smirk and raised brow.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Are we leaving or what?" Without waiting for Dale to answer Daryl walked over to his motorbike.

Dale chuckled. "Daryl is our resident hunter. We've been feasting on squirrels for quite some time now."

"Ah! Maybe he will teach us to hunt," Wilhelm said enthusiastically. Dale made no comment, only smiled forcibly.

"Should we take our own car?" Alana asked as Wilhelm began to follow Dale back to the RV. Wilhelm looked around, eyes falling on the truck. It was perhaps ten years old. Just a bit beat up. He had checked the night before if the keys were anywhere to be found. They were. Leaning in he pulled the keys out from behind the brake. He rattled them in his hand. The gas cap was opened and so Dale brought over one of the gasoline containers to fill the tank up. All this time Daryl sat impatiently on his bike, hands wringing the handles. If not that they were pulling at his vest or adjusting the crossbow on his back.

Their packs were quickly transferred over to the truck and Alana and Wilhelm had the vehicle turned around in a matter of seconds. Daryl led the way out, followed by the RV, Carol's wagon (driven by Andrea), and finally the truck.

They hadn't discussed what would happen once they reached the farm. Wilhelm reassured her that at that moment they had nothing to worry about. With the boy Carl wounded, all attention would be on him. And also on Sophia, if the shooting of Carl hadn't pushed her from the minds of those on the farm. He said again how he did not doubt that Dale would come to their defense. There was also the great possibility that even the man Alana had helped, T-Dog, would vouch for them as well. Surely by now, even with the current events, the others had heard about Wilhelm and Alana. The young man Glenn appeared fidgety to Wilhelm and he would be surprised if he had kept his mouth shut about them.

Any worries they did have concerned those of the group that they had yet to meet; Rick, Carl, Lori, and Shane. They would also have to worry about those who lived on the farm. But the fact that someone from that farm had come to take Lori to her son and husband was enough to keep Wilhelm from worrying. If these people were hardened by this new world they would have never offered their aid to Carl.

The brakes lit up on the wagon and Wilhelm slowed down. He saw Daryl turn down a dirt road. The caravan followed behind, slowly. Wilhelm was thankful they knew better than to speed down the road, kicking up dust. They drove on for two miles, the road turning left then right, before the land cleared up.

Ahead they could see fences sectioning bits of land off. A couple of cows were grazing in the field. A farmhouse, surrounded by a couple of large trees sat a ways back. To its left was an old barn. To the right there was what looked to be a chicken coup and also stables. Three old farm vehicles were parked round back the house; an old blue truck, an old station wagon, the wooden panels faded, and another truck, looking to only be a few years newer than the blue one.

As they got closer they could see people standing outside on the steps of the house. A tall man with dark hair and paled skin. A woman with wavy hair stood by him. There was another man standing off to the side, wearing oversized overalls. His head was shaved and he looked out of place. Glenn came out from the house, T-Dog close behind.

Pulling up to the house, Wilhelm and Alana waited till the others had left their vehicles before stepping out themselves. All eyes were on them. Alana looked up as an old man with white hair stepped out from the house, wiping his hands with a cloth.

The siblings remained in the back as The group reunited.

"How is he?" Dale asked Rick.

The man looked as if he was about to fall over but somehow remained upright.

"He'll be alright. He just needs some rest. Time to heal. It was…it was just an accident. A silly accident. But Shane got what we needed to save him."

At his name Shane looked down at the ground, hands in his pockets. He looked like he was trying to think of what to do next, how to act.

Rick looked past the heads of everyone to see Wilhelm and Alana. Dale stepped aside and waved them to come forward.

"This is Wilhelm and Alana. Found them on the road, I told them they could come with us."

Rick nodded at both, putting his hand out to shake. "Glenn and T-Dog told us about you two. Thank you for stopping. For helping T-Dog. You were right, he needed stitches. Thankfully Hershel's people here were able to see to that." Alana looked up to T-Dog who smiled slightly and nodded her way. "Thank you for being so giving. Much as I wish it wasn't true, I don't think that's a trait seen very often nowadays."

"It has just been nice seeing other people," Wilhelm said, looking around to the others. Rick took the moment to introduce the others, Lori and Shane. Hershel came forward for a short moment before excusing himself to head back inside to check on Carl. He hadn't woken up yet.

"You should go," Wilhelm said, motioning to the house. "Hate to not be there when he wakes up."

The group stood together sans Rick and Lori who had both gone back inside the house. They stayed close to the cars, talking in low voices. It became obvious to Wilhelm and Alana that they had no idea what exactly they were on the farm. Guests? Were they staying? For how long? Should they even bother to unpack? Set up tents?

It seemed Rick was reading their minds for soon after he came outside again. He waited on the steps of the house, still weak from giving so much blood to Carl. Wilhelm and Alana waited back from the group. Alana had to pay close attention; they were standing further back than expected because Daryl had secluded himself from the group as well and they were stuck behind him.

"Hershel said we can set up our tents out front here."

"Did he say we can stay here?" Andrea asked.

"I'm working on that. He's been more than generous letting us on his land in the first place and helping Carl. This is his land, he has every right to do whatever he wants. We need to respect that. If we're going to stay here, we need to pull our own weight. Let's not abuse this. We are guests."

With that Rick headed back inside. The group broke up, heading to the vehicles and pulling out packs. The vehicles were pulled round to the back of the house. While everyone was busy setting up their tents Wilhelm took the opportunity to go into the house. Alana sat out on the porch in a rocking chair.

He knocked before peeking his head in. "Mr. Greene?" he called out. A moment later Hershel came out from a room, likely the one Carl was being kept in. He was wiping his hands on the same towel.

"Can I help you?" he asked, walking into the kitchen.

"My name is Wilhelm. My sister, Alana is with me. I just wanted to thank you for allowing us on your land."

"Not like I had much of a choice, now did I? One of my men accidentally shot that boy and that's why you're here. He's dead, Otis. Man that shot him. Died trying to get the equipment needed to save that boy's life."

"I apologize for that. I just wanted to tell you that my sister and I are grateful for your hospitality and if you need anything to let us know. Need any work done around the farm, we'll be the first in line to offer assistance."

Hershel eyed him while he fixed himself a sandwich. "Well, just keep that group of yours in check. We haven't had any problems on this farm and I intend to keep it that way. Soon as that boy is well enough to get up and moving I expect you'll be on your way again. Fort Benning I hear, that's where Rick said you were heading."

Wilhelm nodded, not bothering to tell Hershel they weren't with the group. He likely knew that, but it didn't matter to him. They were all on his land and that made them the same.

"I'll leave you to your lunch."

The group moved fast setting up camp; perhaps they thought if they could beat Hershel in kicking them off his land by getting the tents up first they'd be okay. It looked like a space had been set aside for Lori and Rick's tent. Andrea had her tent only halfway up; from the looks of it she and T-Dog had been helping Carol set up her tent. T-Dog's tent was next to Glenn's. Even Dale had pulled out a tent and had it set up, another folding chair sitting outside the entrance flap.

Everyone had set their tents up on one side of a large tree. Some 15 feet away Daryl had his tent up, the motorbike pulled up next to it.

Wilhelm looked over to Alana who was too busy focusing on rocking the chair back and forth. He whistled at her and she snapped her head up. She followed him down the steps as they walked round back to get the packs out from the bed of the truck.

"_He isn't happy we're on his land. He expects us to leave once the boy is healed," _he told her as they were pulling the packs out. _"Best we pick this group apart, figure out who to associate with and who not to." _

Walking back to the front of the house Wilhelm's step didn't falter as he headed past the group with lax. He nodded to Daryl as he dropped the packs in front of his tent, bridging the gap between him and the group.

Wilhelm walked over to Daryl who was sitting inside his tent, cleaning his arrows. Wilhelm chuckled. Daryl looked out to see what was so funny and why the German had decided he needed to walk over. Wilhelm pointed up to the tree.

"Guess we're all fucked if lightning strikes." He tossed a bottle of Gatorade at Daryl before going back over to his and Alana's tent. Daryl set the bottle down beside him and went back to cleaning his arrows.

**I deprived myself of sleep just so I could write this chapter! And I'm not even done with this day's events I have a scene I'm going to be adding to the story next chapter that should be fun. **

**Want to let everyone know that I will be doing my best to include Alana and Wilhelm in events that take place in the show, like the walker in the well scene that will hopefully be in the next chapter. But I will not be including them in EVERY scene. I don't want to bog the story down by sticking them into every single event, it's just not necessary. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had wanted to get into the reactions of Rick, Shane, and Lori about the siblings being there, but decided to hold it off til the next chapter where hopefully there'll be the chance for them to whisper about Alana and Wilhelm without the two being there. **

**As usual, send in your reviews! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Loads of thanks to alligator-blood! **

**Enjoy and be sure to review!**

Everyone was at a lost as to what to do, now that they could actually close their eyes without fear. At least for the time being. Carol had gone back to the RV; no one went in to see what she was doing. Lori and Rick were still inside the house keeping watch over Carl. Shane sat out on the steps. Glenn sat in the rocking chair. Dale, out of habit had gone on top of the RV. Andrea was sitting at a small picnic table near the house, disassembling her gun and putting it back together.

Word quickly got round to everyone that Hershel's family had lost someone while retrieving the medical supplies use to save Carl's life. Otis. Hershel and Jimmy, who apparently was the boyfriend to Beth, Hershel's youngest daughter, exited the house. They collected a wheel barrel and headed a ways off from the house. They were piling rocks into the barrel. The group watched, trying to figure out what was going on. For a split moment they all thought Carl was dead.

A young woman with shoulder length hair came out of the house, Rick and Lori close behind her. She passed through the group's small camp, going to help her father and Jimmy.

"They're going to have a service. For Otis. He saved Carl's life. I think we should all show our support," Rick said, fidgeting with his hat. No one argued.

A mound of rocks was made and Hershel read from his worn Bible. His family, one by one, placed the final rocks on top. The last rock went to Otis' wife, Patricia. When Hershel closed the Bible he looked up expectantly to Shane. When he could feel eyes bearing into him Shane looked up. His hands were stuffed in his pockets. In Otis' pockets.

"Will you say something?" Patricia asked, cradled in the arms of Maggie.

Shane shook his head. "I'm, I'm not much for words, I'd just ruin things."

"Please. I…I need to know. His final moments."

When Shane began speaking Alana stopped listening. She and Wilhelm stood behind the group. They didn't stand with Hershel and his family, nor did they stand with the Atlanta survivors.

Something wasn't right. Shane kept speaking, but Alana couldn't figure out why. Otis had sacrificed himself so Shane could get away. Get back to the farm and save Carl. Yes, it was a noble action, but Alana had seen her share of these so-called noble actions. The way Shane went on; about what Otis told him, what Otis did. No one, _no one_, ever remained noble that long. A person was lucky if they were able to build up the guts to do something noble, to sacrifice themselves. But no one ever wasted time going on and on about it. The decision had to be quick. There could be no hesitation. The action had to be carried out as soon as the decision was made; if just a moment was taken, wasted on telling the others to carry on, to keep fighting the good fight, then there was room to take back that decision. Alana didn't know what kind of man Otis was, but she doubted he was one who could make such a noble decision. Not on his own.

After the service, as the two groups returned to the house and the tents, Alana kept close to Wilhelm.

The young lady, Maggie, came around the camp, telling everyone they were welcomed to come into the house to clean up, to use the bathroom. While everyone was secretly ecstatic at the thought, to be able to cool off, no one rushed inside for the first shower. Likely they'd all wait till that night, when it was cooler. Taking one now, they'd just become sweaty all over again before bed.

Maggie also mentioned there were a couple of wells on the property, pointing to one that the group was welcomed to use. Dale and T-Dog volunteered to go collect some water for everyone.

Alana watched from the tent as the group began to move about; Hershel had brought out a map of the surrounding area. Rick, Shane, and Daryl joined him as he laid it out on the hood of Otis' truck. Andrea and Maggie came and joined. Curious as to what they were going over, Alana looked over to Wilhelm who was sitting on the ground outside the tent, picking through the packs. When he saw the group assembled around the truck he took the hint from his sister to get up and join in.

"You're in no state to be wandering in these woods looking for this girl. Do you know how much blood you've given in the past 24 hours? You need to rest. Tomorrow you'll have more energy to do more than just stand around. Then you can go looking for her."

Hershel was scolding Rick. The group was already wanting to go back out and search for Sophia.

"And you," Hershel started again, looking to Shane. "That ankle is bad enough as it is. You go out there you'll be lain up for at least a month. You need to keep off that foot as much as possible. Give it time to heal."

"I can take one of the cars, drive up—"

"And what do you plan to do if you find her?" Hershel cut him off. "What if you need to get to her and you can't? I don't expect you're fast on one leg."

Shane was clenching his cap in his hands. It looked like he was going to say something, but the arrival of Wilhelm stopped him. Everyone became quiet for a moment.

Daryl leant forward, pointing to a spot on the map. "I can head up here, get a good view of everything, take a look around."

"Alright," Rick said. "Daryl can get a start today, scope everything out. Then tomorrow we can start covering ground. Now that we actually have this organized we'll be able to cover more ground and move faster."

"And what do you plan to do when you find her? What if she's been bit?" Maggie asked.

"What has to be done."

"What'll you tell her mother?" Maggie sounded slightly shocked. Wilhelm noted the look that passed between her and Hershel.

Daryl's leaving of the group was like a signal to the others. Rick rolled up the map and took it with him back into the house. Wilhelm followed him up to the steps.

"You think it wise, sending Daryl out there on his own?"

"I'm not sending him. He volunteered. It's not completely wise, but Daryl knows how to look out for himself."

"All the same, maybe I should go with him."

Rick looked down at Wilhelm. It wasn't the best idea to let Daryl go off on his own. Wasn't the best idea to send someone with him either. He wasn't a 12 year old girl, but he was still left uncomfortable knowing Daryl would be out there on his own.

As Daryl came walking out from behind the house Rick called him over. Daryl just looked back and kept walking. Rick sighed and started off after him. Wilhelm close behind. As Daryl stopped Wilhelm continued on past him, back to his and Alana's tent.

"Where are you going?" Alana asked as he picked up his rifle, slinging it over his shoulder.

"_He's going to go look for the girl. Take a look around. We'll be back before nightfall."_

Alana nodded. She handed him his sunglasses. He stuffed them in his shirt pocket.

As he stood back up Daryl was coming towards him.

"You best not slow me down," he said as he kept walking, not looking back to see if Wilhelm was coming.

"I promise if I do you have my permission to leave me for dead." Wilhelm winked at Alana before following after him.

As they walked off Alana could have sworn she heard Daryl say, "Crazy fuckin' German."

They were all so…in sync. Not surprising. Didn't seem to matter if there were times when they rubbed each other the wrong way, they'd fall back in sync. Alana remained in her tent, peering through the mesh window. She watched as they moved about, building a fire pit, dividing the food into piles, collecting firewood. No one came by her tent. Because it was next to Daryl's, and Daryl's was set off from the others, there really was no need for anyone to walk past her at all.

"Alana?"

It was Rick. Alana zipped open the flap, he was crouching, hat back in his hands.

"Had a talk with Hershel. No easy way to put it, he's not comfortable with us having guns on his land. Now whoever is on watch on top the RV can carry, but everyone else will have to make do without. I've already gathered up ours, gave them to Dale to hold onto."

Alana eyed the two packs holding the guns and other weapons. "Those are yours and Wilhelm's, I won't ask that you hand them over to Dale. I've told Hershel that you two have, well, a rather large quantity of serious weapons and that the two of you might be more comfortable if he holds on to them. Of course, when needed you and Wilhelm can come and go, take what you need. You're welcome to keep the crossbow, machete, axe, anything but the guns. I just ask that you only keep what you need. Some of us may not take too well to not having our guns, I don't want anyone thinking they can just come over and take what they want from you."

"Of course," Alana said, stepping out of the tent. She kneeled down in front of the packs; she zipped the one with the guns up and handed it to Rick. She picked the tubes of arrows, two machetes, a hand axe, and a set of hunting knives out of the second pack. She set them inside the tent, zipped it back up. She slung the pack on her back and followed Rick back to the house.

"How is your son?" she asked when the silence began to bother her.

"He's better. Thank you. He woke up." Rick smiled. "Wants to get out of that bed so badly, but Hershel says he needs to stay still. Said tomorrow he can start sitting up maybe. In another day or two he can start moving around." He paused in step, waiting for Alana to reach his side. "I told him about you and Wilhelm. Told him you're both helping to find Sophia. Really wants to meet you."

Alana smiled at the ground. "We are just trying to earn our place here."

"We all are now."

Hershel was sitting at the dinning table, reading a newspaper and eating his sandwich. He had a cup of soup as well. He put the newspaper aside when he saw Rick and Alana.

"This is Alana. Her and Wilhelm have quite a collection." He looked pointedly at the packs he and Alana had on their backs. "They'd be more comfortable if you kept them in here."

"Hm. Can't say I disagree." Hershel stood up and took the pack of guns from Rick; he unzipped it slightly. Seeing what he needed to see he zipped it back up. "And that one?" he asked, pointing at the pack on Alana's back.

"Knives, pointy things. Rick said it would be better to leave these with you as well. Don't want to leave temptation out in the open."

"Follow me then." Hershel led them down a hall. They passed by the bedroom that Carl was resting in. The door was opened just a crack. Carl could be heard talking to his mother. "We can store them in here." It was a small storage room. There were some cleaning supplies on the floor, a mop, broom. They handed the packs to Hershel who leaned them up in the corner. "Now if for some reason you need something, you come to me first."

Hershel went back to his lunch and reading. "Would you like to meet Carl?" Rick asked once he left the hall.

He tapped lightly on the door, pushing it open slowly. "Dad!"

Lori was leaning eagerly on the bed. Carl was eating a sandwich, cut up in quarters. Pillows were propping him up although barely. Because of the placement of his show wound it was best if he refrained from bending his abdomen for a few days. Not just for the sake of the stitches, but also to save him from some rather awful pain.

"Carl, brought someone to see you." Rick looked back, beckoning Alana to come into the room. "This is Alana, Wilhelm's sister." Alana walked into the room, taking a spot near Carl's bed.

"Hello."

Carl giggled. "Hi. Your voice is silly."

"Carl!" Lori said, eyes wide. "Her voice isn't silly. It's just…different. That's all."

"It's quite alright," Alana told her. She looked at Carl. "Your voice is silly to me." He smiled.

"Where's your brother? You're going to stay with us, aren't you?"

"Of course they are honey," Lori told him, brushing hair back with her hand. She glanced over at Alana quickly and smiled.

"Where's your brother, can I meet him?"

"Your father already told you, Wilhelm went out with Daryl, to help him look for Sophia." Carl looked obediently at his mother, nodding.

"When I get better, I'm going to go look for Sophia. I'm going to find her and bring her back."

"I'm sure you will," Alana told him. "Once you're better I'll help you look for her. She'll be glad to see us."

Carl was becoming fidgety, trying to prop himself up further in bed. Lori called an end to visiting hours and told him he needed to finish his lunch. He only argued for a moment before relenting to his mother.

Alana excused herself, leaving the room. She glanced at Hershel, still at the dinning table, reading the newspaper and eating his soup. Shane was in the leaving room, sitting on the sofa. He wasn't really looking at anything while he chewed his nails. As Alana passed by she nodded his way. She turned away without waiting for his response.

Once out on the steps Alana took a moment to look about. The makeshift camp was empty. A faint commotion caught her attention. Out over towards the well she could see everyone was gathered. Deciding she had nothing else better to do she started making her way to the well.

She walked up right in the middle of things.

"You can't just shoot it, you'll ruin the water." Dale was arguing with T-Dog while the other peered down into the well.

"We can't just leave it in there, we have to get it out." That was Andrea. She was grimacing. When she looked up and saw Alana she motioned her forward. "Not too sure you'll want to see this, but since you and Daryl had no problem with that walker in the tree, you might enjoy this." She was trying to be mean, to mock her, but there was little effort behind her words. She was too busy handling her stomach.

Alana edged carefully over to the well. As she got closer she could hear water splashing. Down below was a walker. It was once a man, she thought. Now it just looked like a giant sponge, all puffy and sickly pale. The veins could be seen splaying out over its body, the blood darkened within them.

"How do you plan to get it out?" She asked them.

"Only option is to pull it out," Maggie said. The others nodded their heads. "I'll go grab some rope."

They stood round, looking in while they waited for Maggie to return. Glenn looked sick, but he kept looking down at it. So did everyone else. Only Alana seemed to be content. Certainly wasn't the worst she had seen. And at least no one had drunk the water yet.

Maggie returned with the rope and a horse, already saddled. She and Glenn had intended on going into town, to gather supplies. The discovery of the walker in the well changed their plans. Tying an end off on the horse's saddle the group made a noose on the other end. Everyone silently decided that the roping would be left to Maggie, likely something to do with her being a "farm girl."

She tried to ignore everyone's advice as she tried to get the noose around the walker. The damn thing wouldn't stay still though. Kept moving around the walls, clawing at them, thrashing at the rope as it swung in front of him. She cried out in exasperation.

"It's no use! He won't stay still long enough for me to get it round him."

"We have to send someone down there then." They turned to Alana at her words. She was preparing to offer to go down there herself, but their eyes suddenly all fell onto Glenn who groaned.

Next thing Alana knew, Glenn was being lowered into the well, another rope wrapped up around him. They had stringed the rope through the water pump, inching him down bit by bit. He called out to them to keep going, just a bit more. Then he started screaming at them when the rope gained slack and he was sent nearly crashing atop the walker. The water pump had broken under the pressure. They scrambled to lift him back up.

The screaming stopped once Glenn was back up top. The walker was still thrashing around, growling up at them. How quickly everyone's face fell. Glenn began laughing. Pushing himself out of the rope harness he handed the other rope to Glenn, patting his back and saying something about needing to lay down. When Dale felt a tug on the rope he rushed forward to look down. There was the walker, the noose round its midsection.

With the horse and the lot of them they must have been at least three times the weight of the walker, but it was a hell of a job trying to lift the thing out of the well. T-Dog was at the front, shouting at the others to pull harder. Maggie stood with the horse, coating it to move forward. Alana and Andrea were at the back, Dale and Glenn behind T-Dog.

"Almost there!" T-Dog urged them on. The walkers head and arms came first. It was still flaying about, causing it to swing slightly and making it more difficult to pull it out. The group grunted as a whole when it felt the tug of the rope catching on the top of the well. "Come on!" T-Dog cried out to them. "Almost there!"

They began jerking the rope, throwing their bodies backwards.

It sounded like cloth tearing. Like wet cloth tearing, being shredded. They fell on their backs, the rope loose. The smell hit them as they sat up. The brownness of the blood stood out on the dirt. They had heard a loud plop. They scurried away on their hands and feet, covering their noses or looking away.

The walker was still thrashing, trying to flip itself over. It could see them, wanted to get to them. As they stood up T-Dog walked around to the other side of the well, peeking down. There was a trail of guts and blood down the wall of the well. The other half of the walker was floating in the water. Though it was far down the water had still looked clear, but now it was a murky brown, swirls of red in it.

T-Dog cursed and walked off. The others began to edge over to the well, that sick part hidden away in the depths of themselves wanting to look no matter how much it churned their stomachs. Even Maggie was stepping closer.

She stopped and covered her mouth, nearly falling to the ground, when T-Dog walked straight over to the walker and slammed his baseball bat in its head. He took three swings at it before cursing and walking away. Maggie watched him with horrified eyes.

Alana walked over to her, rubbing a hand on her back. "Go back to the house. We'll take care of it, get it off the land." She didn't nod, taking unsteady steps back towards the horse. Alana snapped her head over to Maggie when Glenn looked over at them. He got the message and came over in a hurry, coaxing her away from the well. The two still needed to get to the town and Alana had no idea how far away it was,; they needed to leave as soon as possible. To make it back before nightfall and to get Maggie away.

When they were out of earshot Alana looked round at T-Dog, Dale, and Andrea. "We need to get this thing out of here. Do you have a tarp maybe, something we can roll it on to, drag it?" Dale nodded absentmindedly, telling Andrea where to look in the RV.

"I doubt this is something we'll be able to keep from everyone," Alana said to no one in general.

"We'll have to let Hershel know. I don't think it's something we need to worry about. More of us now, if another gets on the land we'll spot it. This one's been down there for a while now. Months likely." Dale started pacing, wiping his face with his wifebeater.

Andrea returned with a blue tarp. She had had to tell Carol about what happened. There was no way she could walk in there and leave with a large blue tarp and not get a questioning stare.

T-Dog and Dale rolled the walker onto the tarp. As the four of them pulled the walker off the land they saw Glenn and Maggie heading down the dirt road.

"You'd think that was the first walker she's seen," Andrea said.

"Girl…just…don't have the stomach…for getting of them," T-Dog said as he an Dale pulled the tarp along. "Where we even taking this thing?"

"Take it to the truck," Andrea suggested. "We can drive it back to the road, leave it there." No one complained with the idea. None thought it too well to burn it there on Hershel's land. The stench was overpowering and so Andrea ran off ahead to get the truck and bring it back.

"T-Dog and I will take the walker. You'll have to take watch." Dale looked over to Alana as she pulled her side of the tarp. "Binoculars are already up there. Let Rick know what happened."

Andrea pulled the truck up to them. The start of the engine had brought Rick and Shane out onto the porch. Hershel was standing behind the screen door. As Dale and T-Dog drove off Alana began walking back in the direction of the house. Andrea walked a few steps behind her.

"You alright?" she asked, looking back for a second.

Andrea nodded her head then said, "Yes," when she saw that Alana was not looking back at her. "Just seems like no matter what, we have to watch our backs. Where are you going?" she asked as Alana started climbing up the RV.

"Dale told to me take watch."

Andrea paused. "Want any company?"

"I'll manage on my own, thanks," she heard Alana say. "Best go let Rick and the rest know what happened."

Alana grabbed the binoculars and put them around her neck. She wiggled a bit in the chair. Then she realized she didn't have a gun. She decided against getting down and going to ask Hershel for one. She looked over at her tent. Bit too far of a walk for her liking. If any walkers did show up out of nowhere, with the way they move, she'd have plenty of time to get down and get her crossbow.

She watched out the corner of her eye as Andrea walked off to the house. Rick and Shane stood round her as she told them what had happened. Shane was obviously upset, saying something to which Rick tried to calm him, looking at the screen door and Hershel.

A great big ape with much to prove. That's what Alana thought of Shane. She hadn't spoken word to him yet and she felt it best to keep it that way as long as possible.

She looked out towards the woods, to the spot she had last seen Wilhelm and Daryl before they disappeared from her sight.

She wondered if Daryl as tired of looking at Wilhelm's sunglasses.

The things were rather silly.

**WHEW! This one took allllllllll day to write. But it certainly was fun **

**I so badly wanted to get to Daryl and Wilhelm in this chapter, but that will have to wait till the next chapter. There will of course be a nice collection of extra scenes so we can all giggle at Daryl and Wilhelm. **

**Now I'm not too sure how long or how short the next chapter will be; I'm planning on making the chapter solely about Daryl and Wilhelm so I have no clue what the length will be. **

**Hoping to have the next chapter up Monday.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Took longer than I thought to write this chapter; since it's so Daryl-centric I really wanted to make sure I got his characterization right, especially since he'd be interacting solely with Wihelm. And I also had to go a week without internet! Oh how I have missed the internet!**

**Thanks again to alligator-blood! The decision for Wilhelm to go scouting with Daryl was all hers **

**Enjoy and be sure to send in your reviews, so much more fun to read them than to do work haha.**

"What happened to her?"

Daryl looked over at Wilhelm. They hadn't even gone 10 feet into the woods; they could turn back and still see the farmhouse.

"The little girl. Sophia. How did she get lost?"

"Walkers on the road. Had to hide under the cars. Came out too soon, couple walkers saw her, chased her into the woods."

"Who was the last to see her?"

Daryl huffed. "Who the hell are you? German Sherlock?" Wilhelm chuckled. "What's so funny, that I know who Sherlock is?" He was regretting this scouting trip already.

"No, far from it. Just funny, I don't think Sherlock would have to ask as many questions as me." Daryl didn't say anything back, not entirely sure what to say.

He was a strange, familiar opposite to Daryl. Both seemed more than capable of taking care of themselves. Could survive longer on their own than anyone else in the group. The group depended on Daryl for food, essentially survival. Alana depended on Wilhelm to make the decisions. To find the food.

"Either of you know how to hunt?" Daryl asked.

Wilhelm shook his head. "No. Well, I suppose we know the mechanics of hunting, but how to actually carry it out? No. During our training we were taught how to figure out what we could and couldn't eat that didn't require cooking. Couldn't do anything that would possibly lead enemies to us. So no fire."

"What the hell you eat then, leaves?"

"Mushrooms, berries, acorns. Would have to collect them up, grind them into a paste, and chow on that for a week."

"Acorns?"

"Taste doesn't matter for much when you're trying to survive. Do you do all the hunting for your group?" Wilhelm quickly asked, turning the questions back onto Daryl.

"I'm the only one with a crossbow."

"What do you catch?"

"Squirrels mostly. Rabbits. Sometimes deer."

Wilhelm perked up. "Alana's caught a couple of squirrels."

"Thought she didn't know how to hunt with that crossbow of hers."

"She doesn't. Sometimes we'd be moving through the woods, to avoid towns. We'd sleep up in the trees, better than the ground. At night, during her watch, she'd just sit there. Real still. Bit of birdseed in her hands. Squirrels would walk right up into them, snap their neck, have ourselves breakfast the next day."

They came to a clearing overlooking the land. There was still a scatter of trees, but a faint dirt path could be seen peeking out. Daryl had made the plan to check out the neighboring houses he had seen on the map of Hershel's. Might be that Sophia was hiding out in one of them.

"So we taking that path?" Wilhelm asked, looking through his binoculars. "Looks clear enough, what do you think?" He handed the binoculars to Daryl. After a few seconds he took them. "Edges look clear, path disappears over there to the northeast. What do you think?"

Daryl took a moment. He wasn't used to others asking what he thought.

"We'll go round the edge there," he said, pointing to the east. "Follow along the side of the path."

Wilhelm nodded, putting his hand out to take the binoculars back. They didn't say anything else as they made their way along the side of the clearing. They were sitting ducks out there.

Once in the woods again Daryl asked if Wilhelm knew how to track.

"Yes, but likely not as good as you. You should lead, don't want me stomping all over possible tracks. I'm just here as backup."

They were getting close to where Sophia had gone missing. Well not close. But close to where Daryl and the group had stopped searching.

Daryl kept his eyes low, looking over the ground, searching for any sign that Sophia had been through there. Wilhelm was his lookout, making sure they didn't stumble upon any unpleasant surprises. There'd be a moment and Wilhelm would see movement; before he could alert Daryl there'd a be a dead squirrel stuck to a tree. Daryl would walk over calmly, pull the bolt out, wipe it on his pants, then tie the squirrel to a rope. Wilhelm started watching him, picking up on his actions. Two hours into their trek and Wilhelm was pointing out squirrels to Daryl.

They would randomly stop. Wilhelm would pick up the binoculars and take a look around. Each knew their luck was running too high. So far they had caught 13 squirrels. Hadn't run into a single walker. May not have seen any trace of Sophia, but their luck was still too high.

The house was up ahead. Looked much the same as Hershel's. The woods crept up to it on all sides, only a few yards of open ground in between. From appearances it seemed abandoned; couple windows busted out, torn curtains flapping. Paint was coming off in bits, exposing at least four other coats, all in various faded shades. Wilhelm motioned to Daryl that he would make a circle round the house, make sure it would be safe to enter. Daryl stood at the front door, crossbow aimed at it while he looked left to right. When Wilhelm came back round he stepped in front of Daryl, taking the lead. Though he was used to it by now, Daryl relented; hunting and sneaking was his part, might as well let the German feel useful and let him play army.

Wilhelm rolled his feet as he stepped inside, rifle held up and ready. He kept his back to the walls, squatting down slightly. Being tall and remembering his training, he had to make himself small. Common person would hold their gun out straight, level with their chest, expecting everyone else to be the same height as them. That single second it would take to adjust their aim could mean not getting the chance to pull the trigger.

The house itself creaked. But Wilhelm never made a sound. At each hallway he would pause, look back to Daryl, then swiftly turn the corner. Someone had been living there when things started going wrong for the human race. The house was messy, but all over there was evidence of someone having been there. A lot of the downstairs furniture had been moved closer to the door and windows. Against a wall was a pile of wooden boards. A discarded box of nails rested on the floor, a couple hammers nearby. Someone had tried to ride it out.

They stopped at the foot of the staircase. Not much could be seen just by peering up. Any place with more than one floor irked Wilhelm. Didn't matter how much you checked the lower floors, minute you went up there was no telling if you'd ever come back down. Might be walkers upstairs, cut you off from getting back down. Might be walkers show up downstairs and you get cut off again.

There was still one room to check before they could consider heading upstairs. The kitchen was open spaced and had two entrances. One from the hallway and the other from a backdoor that hung loosely on its hinges. There wasn't much in the way of food left. Glass jars of pickled vegetables, spices. Stale crackers, hardened bread. Wilhelm was eyeing a cupboard when Daryl pulled something from a trashbin.

An opened canister of sardines. There was still juice inside.

The cupboard door creaked and both raised their weapons back up. Even though Wilhelm's rifle had the silencer he knew their first choice had to be Daryl's crossbow. Lowering his rifle, Wilhelm edged over to the cupboard. He looked back at Daryl and held up a hand, counting down to 1.

He wrenched the door open, keeping it from slamming against the wall, and stepped back as fast as he could.

Daryl had a pillow and blanket in his crosshairs.

He huffed, stalking over to the cupboard.

Wilhelm was crouching down, pushing the pillow and blanket around. No sign of blood. No layer of dust. Whoever had slept there had done so recently.

"Too small a spot for an adult." He looked up at Daryl who nodded. "Maybe she'll come back. We should find something, leave her a note." Daryl nodded again, walking off to find something to write with. "Daryl!" Wilhelm whispered. He was looking at the shelves in the cupboard. He pointed to spots where boxes and cans had once been. Over everything else there was a sheet of dust, but barely anything where the items had once been. "She's a smart girl," Wilhelm said, "knew enough to take food with her."

Both men looked around in the kitchen, pulling drawers open as quietly as they could. Daryl tapped a pen on the counter. They couldn't find anything to write on and so Wilhelm tore the label from a glass jar and turned it over, handing it to Daryl. He didn't know what to write. "What do I put?"

Wilhelm shrugged. "Tell her to stay here? Upstairs maybe. Bunk up in one of the rooms. We can block the doors, windows, leave one open for her."

Daryl nodded.

_Sophia. Stay here. Go upstairs and wait. We'll come back for you. –Daryl _

"_Her mother._ Put her mother too."

Daryl did so.

They placed the note in the cupboard on top of the pillow.

Making their way back over to the staircase the two of them looked up with no interest in truly going up. "Not much luck with going upstairs in the past?" Wilhelm asked. "Me neither. How do you want to do this?"

"Cover the stairs from midway. I'll head up and take a look around."

Wilhelm stood on the stairs with his back to the wall. Daryl had stood at the top of the stairs for the longest of time, looking up and down the hall. At the end and to the right was a bathroom, door wide open. There were three other rooms, only one was opened. Daryl started with the room directly in front of him.

The room was small. A bed in the furthest corner, a dresser to the left. Small closet to the right. The place looked like it had been ransacked. The sheets had been pulled from the mattress. The dresser drawers were pulled out, clothing hanging over the sides. The closet was wide open, sweaters hanging off the hangers. Room looked like it had belonged to a young girl. Daryl exited quickly. There was nothing to see.

Wilhelm looked up as he passed, heading to the next room. Wilhelm could still see him. The door creaked loudly as Daryl turned the knob and pushed it open. Both cringed at the sound. Wilhelm took a step up, just in case. Wanted to make sure he'd have a good aim if something came darting out the room.

Daryl exited the room quicker than he did the first one, his cheeks puffed out like he had been holding his breath. He shook his head as he passed Wilhelm again.

The third room was frozen in time. A light dust covered everything, but it was all tidy and in place. The bed was perfectly made, decorative pillows covering it. The dresser was empty except for a few antique wooden toys. The closet had worn coats hanging. Shoeboxes were on top. Daryl pulled them all down and looked through them.

The wife and husband had two children. Girl and boy. The room belonged to the boy. From the pictures he had left home, was the eldest. Most recent picture looked like it was taken when he was just out of high school. Boy must have gone to college. Joined the army. Daryl didn't know. All he knew was that that boy wasn't with his family when the world went wrong. He was sure of it.

There had only been three bodies in the second room.

Daryl peeked into the bathroom. Nothing. Outside it though he saw the door to the attic. He whispered over to Wilhelm that he was going up.

He knew there was no way that door wasn't going to make a sound, so he made sure to pull it down fast as possible. Get it done with.

Wilhelm could hear him, moving about above him, the boards creaking. There'd be a thud from time to time, Daryl moving things around. He looked at his watch. They'd been out almost four hours and had only made it to one house.

Five minutes was a long time. Long time to stand on the stairs. At a clanking sound Wilhelm looked up. Daryl turned the corner. He was holding a can of paint. As he came down the stairs Wilhelm took it from him.

"Start boarding up the windows. I'll leave a message on the outside."

They worked quickly. It didn't take but a few minutes for Wilhelm to write a message on the front of the house.

_Sophia, hide in here. Go through the window and wait for us. –Mom _

When Wilhelm came inside, Daryl had only blocked off one window.

"We have to move faster. We need time to get back."

"You crazy? You want a walker to hear us banging?"

"We don't have a choice. Use just enough nails to get the boards on there and move on. Here." Wilhelm tore a curtain from one of the windows. "This will dull the sound. Just hurry."

There were five windows. They left one open. The front door was boarded from the outside. They didn't have time to board everything from the outside. Would have been more secure, but only would have taken that much more time to carry the supplies outside to each window. Long as Sophia kept quiet the walkers would just give up and leave the house alone.

Running quickly to the back Wilhelm started nailing the last boards in place. Daryl held his crossbow up, watching the perimeter.

"Let's go," Wilhelm said, tossing the hammer and nails on the ground. Then on second thought he bent down and stuffed the hammer in his waistband.

As they made their way back into the woods Daryl slowed, coming to a stop in front of some bushes. There were flowers blooming. Wilhelm turned around.

"What is it?"

Daryl shook his head. "Cherokee Rose. Haven't seen one of these in a while."

Wilhelm didn't ask more; he looked lost in thought.

"Come on, we need to head back."

Daryl plucked the rose and hurried to catch up with Wilhelm.

He quickly took over the lead again, Wilhelm reasoning that Sophia may have crossed their path while they were in the house.

"We can go back out tomorrow," Wilhelm offered. "Take the truck, head to the other houses. You can take Alana with you. I'll come back here, see if Sophia has come back." When Daryl didn't respond, he continued. "She won't slow you down. She's a good listener. And she picks up on things quickly. Just tell her what to do and she'll get it done."

"I ain't no babysitter."

"Never said you were. But no one should be heading out there alone. Need someone you can trust, that will have your back. Of the people in your group, how many do you trust to stand behind you with a gun? And how many of them actually have the skills to use that gun?" Wilhelm sighed. "Rick won't be leaving that house for at least another day. Dale has a good heart, but he's not a sniper with that shotgun. Glenn lacks confidence. T-Dog is nursing that wound on his trigger hand. The women, well, they're women. And Shane…"

"Yeah," Daryl agreed, "Shane is Shane."

"She won't slow you down. If she does, tell her to go back. She won't put up a fight. Or just tell her to stay in the truck."

"Who says I can—"

Wilhelm jerked Daryl back, pushing him to the ground. He put a finger up to shush him. To their right the crunching of leaves could be heard, coming closer. Wilhelm looked around; there were no decent sized trees or rocks for them to hide behind. The noise was too close, if they tried to make a run for it, circle round back, anything, it would draw attention to them. Clenching his rifle Wilhelm knew what had to be done.

He motioned for Daryl to head up a tree just behind them. The branches drooped low enough for Daryl to reach them with a bit of effort. Wilhelm softly placed his binoculars on the ground before handing the rifle up to Daryl.

"I'll draw them out, bring them into that clearing," he said, pointing to a small patch of treeless land. "I'll take the rest out. Only use the gun if you have to."

Before Daryl could say anything Wilhelm was off, moving from tree to tree. In a few seconds he was out of sight. The groans and guttural cries of the walkers rose. He could hear two sickening crunches, like wet wood being snapped. Wilhelm came running back into view, the hammer in his hand drenched in blood, bits of skull and hair stuck to it. He kept an eye on Daryl as he moved around, keeping the walkers on him, but allowing Daryl the space to take the shot at them. There were three of them. One, a young woman, had a broken the leg, but still she slumped her way to Wilhelm.

"_Shit,"_ Daryl hissed, having run out of arrows. Wilhelm looked back round to him and saw him picking up the rifle.

Wilhelm lunged towards the woman, knocking her over. He picked himself up quickly, running towards the other two. He wasn't going for deathblows, just enough to knock them off their feet and buy him some time. He looked up at Daryl who had the rifle in position. He waved him off.

Daryl jumped down from the tree, sprinting over to Wilhelm.

He made it over to him just as Wilhelm was dislodging the hammer from the woman's head. He shook bits of her off his hand, moving to wipe his hand on his pants, then thinking better of it.

"Let's head back," he said, walking over to the walkers and pulling the arrows out.

Daryl looked at each one, studying their faces. When Wilhelm asked him what he was doing he said, "Fresh blood. Trying to figure out if any of 'em got a hold of anything." He walked over to the two that Wilhelm had taken down first. Their faces were caved in.

Wilhelm joined him. "It was dried, the blood. Nothing fresh. Probably from when they were turned."

Daryl nodded, pushing one of their heads to the side with his boot. It looked like their faces were just huge mouths, couple of teeth could be seen way up where the eyes should have been. Wilhelm chuckled.

"Wanted to make sure they wouldn't get up. Come on, time to head back." He pointed to the squirrels at Daryl's side. "Haven't had squirrel in two weeks, Alana will be happy."

They reached the farm just a couple hours before sunset. Dale was on top the RV. He waved at them when they came into view. He must have called out because a moment later Alana came out from her tent, looking over the field to them. Wilhelm asked Daryl to hold up the string of squirrels. They were too far away for her to see them, but Dale told her what they were.

As they neared the camp Wilhelm told Daryl, "I'll go let Rick and Hershel know what we found today. You can tell Carol, doesn't seem right for me to say anything to her, not knowing her or Sophia." He clapped Daryl on the shoulder before veering off towards the house. "See you at dinner."

Daryl tossed his crossbow on the cot in his tent. Alana watched as he gingerly laid a white flower down as well. When he turned around she looked longingly at the string of squirrels.

"No Bambi?" She asked.

"Nah, no Bambi."

Alana shook her head. "Stupid Bambi," she muttered, "just needs to die." She walked over to Dale and the RV. Daryl could hear her talking to Dale, asking about dinner and what she could do. He sent her and Andrea off to the house, to ask Lori.

Daryl sat down at the small picnic table and pulled out his skinning knife.

Wilhelm came out from the house, Alana and Andrea behind him. He ushered Alana to follow him. He stopped at their tent, picking up the set of knives. Daryl started shifting in his spot when he saw that they were coming his way. They stood on the other side of the table and waited for him to look up.

"You mind teaching her how to skin them?" Wilhelm asked, pointing at the squirrels with the knife set.

Daryl looked up at Alana then back at the squirrels.

"She won't lose her stomach, promise."

Alana nodded. "Promise."

Without looking back up at her Daryl asked for the knife set. His hands were covered in blood, but Wilhelm didn't hesitate to hand it over. Opening it Daryl looked over the knives. Lucky for Alana and unlucky for him, there was a knife suitable for skinning. He pulled it out and set it in front of Alana. He untied a squirrel from the string and tossed it down.

"You start with the skinny ones. Won't have you ruining a nice fat one," Daryl muttered. Alana sat down in front of him, positioning the squirrel in line with Daryl's and grabbing the knife, waiting for his word.

**Yay! Another chapter done!**

**There will be more of Daryl and Alana cleaning squirrels, just wanted to give you guys a little bit for now since I took forever to get this chapter up. Semester starts up next week so the chapter uploads will likely be happening once a week now, but I'll try to keep it on the same day. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Another chapter! Didn't feel like waiting till Friday to post it **

**Lots of Daryl/Alana interaction in this one! **

_Italics _= Speaking in German

The others walked by slowly, eyeing the two at the picnic table. Eyeing the way Daryl pointedly swung his knife back and forth at Alana, telling her to do this, don't do this. The squirrels had been soaked in water, making it easier to clean them. He ran through the instructions once, cleaning his own squirrel as she watched. He made incisions at the tail and head, then one in front of the hind legs. Picking up the squirrel he pulled back on the skin and slowly it slid off both ends. He chucked the skin to one side, the naked squirrel to the other side. He was about to start on about cleaning the insides when he looked up at Alana. She was brushing the fur of the squirrel upwards, trying to find just the right spot to make her first incision. She picked a spot and looked up at Daryl, waiting for his approval.

"Make sure not to cut the meat, do that an' it's ruined."

She made a small incision. She ran the edge of the knife over the spot till she could see the meat. When Daryl nodded at her she smiled, flipping the squirrel around to work on the head. She waited again for his approval before making the incision. Laying the squirrel sideways she slowly made a cut in front of the hind legs. Leaning back she waited for Daryl to inspect it. He leaned forward a bit, looking over it. He elongated the cuts to make it easier to peel the skin off. Flicking his knife at her he told Alana to pull the skin off.

He figured at this part she would want to stop, once she'd have to get her hands dirty. But there she sat, peering at the squirrel, feeling the skin, trying to find a good grip, blood collecting under her fingernails. She grasped onto the head tightly as she pulled the other section of skin off. Tossing it to the side she tangled her fingers into the back legs and tail, trying to a get a decent grip. The front took a bit longer to get off, but it eventually joined its other half. She held the naked squirrel in her hands, rubbing its little hands in hers. Its eyes were staring wide at her and if she held it just right she could catch her reflection.

Turning the squirrel around and placing its feet on the table, a finger pushing its head up to Daryl, Alana asked, "What now?"

With a bit of hesitance Daryl handed her another squirrel; another skinny one. She would still pause and wait for his approval whenever she wasn't sure of her work, and he always nodded back at her.

"How did you learn to do this?" She asked.

"Merle taught me."

Glancing around the camp Alana caught more than one pair of eyes dart away. "Are you the only one who does this?"

"Only one that knows how to hunt."

Wilhelm walked up then, carrying two bottles of water. He looked down at the pile of wet squirrel skin, making a face. Alana held a piece up, waving it at him.

"Would you like me to make you a hat?" When he took a step back Alana threw the skin at him. He slapped it away, cursing.

"You can open your own bottle," he told her as he opened Daryl's bottle and set it back down. Alana shouted after him, blood and fur covering her hands. She cursed under breath, yanking hard at the skin of her current squirrel. As if to rub it in, Daryl took a swig of water, setting it down with a thud. Staring daggers at Wilhelm's back Alana reached over and grabbed Daryl's water. He froze, the squirrel held in the air as he was about to pull the skin off.

He saw the looks Dale and Andrea were giving him and Alana. "You sure you wanna drink after me? Might get cooties or something." He shifted uncomfortably under their stares, yanking the skin off both sides.

Alana choked on the water. "Cooties? I'm more concerned with getting bit…so don't bite me." She eyed him with overdramatic anger before placing the bottle back next to Daryl, picking up another squirrel.

Out of the corner of his eye Daryl could see Andrea walking over to them, hands shoved in her back pockets. Alana looked up quickly at her, smiling, before focusing on her squirrel.

"Hershel's given us some potatoes, Lori just wanted to know when we should start them." She had only given Alana a quick glance; she was focused on Daryl, a worried, dark look on her face.

"Well not till we're done with the meat, shit, why you in a hurry to eat?" Daryl stabbed his knife into the table, ripping the skin off a squirrel. Andrea didn't say anything else, stepping back and walking away. "Fuckin' nosey people," Daryl murmured.

Alana's ears perked up. "Huh?" She looked over to the RV, where Andrea had gone.

"It's nothing," Daryl told her. "Hurry up and finish that last one so we can clean them out."

It didn't slip past Alana that Andrea never went to the house, where Lori was. She saw that Daryl had tensed up when Andrea approached, but thought better than to ask him why. She was sure she already had it figured out.

Without instructions Daryl cut into a squirrel, pulling the sides apart and digging out the entrails with his hand. He tossed them into the pile of skin. He always left the heads on, even though he was the only one who would pick the meat off of it. Everyone else ignored it. Waste of good meat. Come winter they wouldn't be wasting it.

Looking up Daryl saw that Alana had wrinkled her nose up at the sight of the entrails. She reached over and poked at them with her knife. She started asking what this and that was; Daryl answered the first two times, then told her to stop stalling and pick up a squirrel for herself.

She leant over the table to watch as he cut into another squirrel, watching as he dug around to get everything out. Trying her hand at it she made the cut. Putting the knife aside she took a breath before shoving her hand in.

Daryl nearly laughed at the silly noises she was making. Almost sounded like she was squealing. She flicked her hand, the entrails flying to the ground. She watched as goop slipped down her fingers. Squinting at something making its way down her index finger she looked to Daryl.

"What's that? Is that…?"

"Shit."

Alana groaned before looking around. "Where's Wilhelm? I'm going to throw this at him." When she didn't see him in sight she went back to cleaning the squirrel out. Daryl's pile of entrails was bigger than hers, leaving her unsure if she had gotten everything out. Huffing she stood up and walked around to the other side of the picnic table. Now that they were getting to the messy part she didn't feel much like leaning over the table and soaking up squirrel guts with her shirt.

Daryl looked up at her like she was about to slap him. She jerked her head to the side. "Move over." He barely moved a few inches. She either took no notice or just didn't care for she quickly sat down next to him, brushing up against his shoulder. She bent down, looking at his squirrel, then back at hers. She dug at hers, digging bits out, until it looked as clean as his.

Holding the sides open she awaited for his approval yet again.

"Grab two more," he told her as he picked up the gutted ones and put them to the side. He kept glancing over at her as they cleaned the squirrels, but her head was down, focused completely on tearing the entrails out. At one point she reached over and grabbed the bottle of water and Daryl froze as if she had slapped him. After taking a drink she held it up to him. He shook his head quickly. Alana reached back over and set it down, then went back to gutting her current squirrel.

She was tiny, sitting next to him, hunched over like an old hag, digging into the squirrels and tossing the entrails to the side. She'd slip in and out of German, mocking the squirrels in high-pitched voices. When she felt Daryl staring at her she stopped.

"I never liked the Chipmunks."

Wilhelm came by again out of nowhere. He sat at the edge of the picnic table across from Daryl, watching as they dug in to each squirrel.

"_Having fun?" _he asked Alana, a coy smile on his face. He had his bug-eyed sunglasses on again and she couldn't tell if he was looking at her or Daryl.

"_I'm pretending each one is you. Quite relaxing. I name this one after you." _She held one up then flicked its head with a finger. He grabbed the side of his head in mock agony. Chuckling he twitched his head to Daryl.

"_He doesn't talk much, does he?" _Wilhelm asked.

"_No, but he's more paranoid than a schizophrenic. Keeps flinching. Watch." _Alana reached over again for the bottle and on cue Daryl stiffened for a second.

Wilhelm shook his head, picking up Alana's bottle and opening it. He held it back when she reached out for it. "This is what you get for drinking his," he told her as he placed it on the edge of the table next to Daryl. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked Daryl.

Daryl stopped and looked around. He hadn't brought a bucket of clean water. "Get some water to wash these off in." He would have rather sent Alana to do it, but that option was out the window now with Wilhelm there.

Wilhelm nodded. "I'll see if I can use the kitchen," he said, tapping the table. He stood up and walked away. He looked back just in time to see Alana reach around Daryl's backside to get the new bottle. He could hear Daryl ask her if she was a camel, a hint of frustration in his tone. Alana made some remark about paying him back.

As he passed the RV he saw Dale looking over at the picnic table. "Looks like he has an apprentice," Dale said. Though his words were friendly, Wilhelm could hear the concern in his voice. He stopped and looked back at the two of them.

Shrugging his shoulders Wilhelm said, "It's good for her, it'll keep her busy, make her feel needed. I'm sure Daryl will appreciate it." He continued walking to the house before Dale could form a reply.

The older man wasn't sure if Daryl was capable of appreciation. Though she wasn't his to worry over it didn't stop Dale from doing so. Much as he hated to admit it to himself, the group was divided. He just hoped in the end that Wilhelm and Alana were on the right side.

Wilhelm knocked on the door before walking in. Rick came out from the room Carl was in. When he saw Wilhelm he held a hand up in greeting.

"Do you know where Hershel is? Wanted to ask if we could borrow his sink to wash the squirrels in. They're clean, just have to give them a last bath."

Patricia peeked her head out from the kitchen. She was wearing an apron, preparing dinner for the Greene family. "You can bring them in, just be sure to clean up after you're done."

Rick and Wilhelm smiled at her, thanking her.

"There's some pots and stuff in the RV. Dale can grab something for you to carry them in," Rick offered, walking out onto the porch with Wilhelm. When he caught sight of Daryl at the picnic table he squinted to figure out who was sitting with him.

"Asked him to teach her how to clean them. Thought it would be useful. And it'll take a bit of weight off Daryl. She must be good, I told him he could send her off if she butchered them," Wilhelm chuckled. At the strange look on Rick's face he asked, "What is that for? That look. Everyone has it. Dale, Andrea—Andrea even walked over there, then hurried away after Daryl said something. And I've seen Glenn staring over at them, T-Dog, hell even Shane poked his head out from the house. What does your group have against him? You all act like he's going to slit her throat."

Rick sighed, running a hand over his face. "He…has the misfortune of being associated with his brother."

"Merle."

Rick nodded. "He isn't Merle, but, it's not that easy to see past that. He just isn't the easiest to get along with."

Wilhelm nodded his head towards Daryl and Alana. "Seems pretty easy to me." Stepping down the porch he said, "I'll go get the squirrels."

When he got to Daryl and Alana they were just standing up. He held up a pot that Dale had given him. Alana held her hands out at her sides, unsure of what to do. When she saw Daryl bend down and soak his hands in the bucket of water used to soak the squirrels she walked over and did the same. He removed his hands quickly, streaks of blood still on them. When she was done she shook them, watching as Wilhelm pushed the squirrels into the pot.

"Be back in a few," he told her.

Alana looked at Daryl and nodded. "So I pass the test? Do I get to skin more squirrels?"

Daryl chewed at his thumbnail, shrugging. "You're pretty decent." When he noticed the blood still on his hands he wiped quickly at his mouth self-consciously.

Alana beamed at him. "Well next time bring me Bambi." With that she walked off, back to her tent. She kicked her boots off at the entrance before going in. When Daryl walked past to go to his tent he peeked in quickly, just a quick turn of his head. She was curled up atop a sleeping bag, a flimsy pillow over her head.

Grabbing a rag from his tent Daryl wiped the rest of the blood from his hands, eyes resting on the Cherokee Rose. After a moment of hesitancy he grabbed it and headed over to the RV; Carol was inside, rearranging everything.

Alana had slept up until dinnertime. Crawling out of the tent she sat on the ground, pulling her boots back on. She looked round as she laced them up. The group was all outside aside from Lori and Carl. Dale had brought out a couple of folding chairs. There was a large rock that Glenn was sitting on. A dead tree log had been rolled over near the fire pit as well.

The picnic table had been washed off and Carol was mashing up the potatoes; she made sure none of the utensils touched the table though. A stack of plates was in front of her and she started setting them out, placing a large helping of the mashed potatoes on each one. The squirrels were roasting over the fire while Dale kept an eye on them.

Everyone was getting up and grabbing a plate as Alana made her way over to join them. Carol had set her plate aside and was carrying two over to the fire where Dale placed a roasted squirrel on each one before she carried them off to the house for Lori and Carl.

Wilhelm was standing next to Dale, commenting on makeshift spit he had made. As Alana picked up a plate Carol was making her way back. Wilhelm held out two squirrels for them. Carol turned back and took a sit over at the picnic table. With a quick look around Alana saw that all the seats had been taken. She and Wilhelm were the last two still standing. Shane slouched in a folding chair, along with Dale, Andrea, and Daryl. Glenn was on the rock, Rick the log. Wilhelm joined Rick on the log. Alana walked over towards him and took a seat on the ground. She was between him and Daryl, who had pushed his chair back a bit from the group.

Dale made idle talk as he was prone to do while everyone ignored the fact that Alana was sitting on the ground while they all had a seat. Carol was in a sort of haze, her mind no doubt drowning in thoughts of Sophia. She had taken the spot at the picnic table likely to be alone in her own way. Alana had no desire to intrude.

"Saw you skinning these little guys," Dale said to Alana, making small talk. "You did a great job." He held up his squirrel, a chunk of it already eaten.

"Just trying to help," she said, poking at her mashed potatoes. She was eating them first since it wasn't easy to balance her plate in her lap.

Dale nodded. "Well I'm sure Daryl will have you skinning more squirrels in no time. Maybe even some rabbits. You know, we could get some vegetables from Hershel and have rabbit stew if we're lucky." Everyone agreed with comments and mumbles.

"Have you ever caught a deer?" Wilhelm asked, looking over at Daryl.

Daryl swallowed the bite of food in his mouth. "Got one a while back, but a geek started gnawing it."

The group became quiet as they thought back to their old camp and everything that had happened there.

"So you have a crossbow?" Glenn asked, his eyes bright.

"I don't really know how to use it," Alana admitted. "I just grabbed it, thinking it might be useful. Haven't really had the time to practice with it. Too busy trying to survive."

Rick cleared his throat. "We all are. Maybe now we can actually breathe, relax. We've got a good thing here."

The group ate in silence afterwards, two or three breaking off in their own conversations here and there. Wilhelm would listen in, nod his head at the appropriate times. Alana sat on the ground, head down as she ate. Dale stood up and gave everyone a second squirrel. Alana held her plate up and thanked him, holding onto the squirrel as she lowered her plate, not wanting it to slip off.

As she began to tear into the meat she saw Maggie approaching from the house, a small stool in hand. She said hello to the group as she walked over to Alana.

"Saw you sitting down here and thought you would like this, the cushion is sorta flat, but a right deal more comfy than the ground," she said, holding the stool out to her.

Wilhelm thanked her as she placed the stool down to Alana's left. She thanked Maggie as she took the seat, catching Daryl shifting in his chair.

"A couple of ya can use the shower if you want tonight. Towels are under the sink," Maggie said before heading back to the house.

She wasn't that much further off the ground on the stool, but Maggie was right that it was more comfy. And at least now it was easier to balance her plate. Carol walked around with the pot of mashed potatoes, giving everyone a second helping. Alana noticed how she came to her and Daryl last, giving them bigger helpings than everyone else. She was grateful and made sure to savor every bite.

As the group members finished eating they each got up, heading over to the picnic table where they left their dishes. Carol had a tub of water waiting to wash them in. After dumping his plate Rick came back over to the fire.

"I think Daryl and Alana should get shower privileges tonight. They cleaned the squirrels, I'd say they earned it." When no one argued, or at least when no one vocalized their disagreement, Rick nodded over at Daryl and Alana. "Alright then. Tomorrow morning we'll pull the maps out Hershel leant us and head out to look for Sophia." Rick looked back over at Carol as he said the last bit. The woman smiled slightly. "We'll figure out what everyone is going to do and where they'll search tomorrow morning. Night everyone."

With that Rick headed back over to the house to join Carl and Lori.

Alana was the last to take her plate over to Carol. The woman smiled warmly at her. "You're going to go look tomorrow? Your brother said you were."

It was news to Alana, but she agreed with Carol. "Can't hurt to have someone else out there looking for her."

"Wilhelm said he's going to go back to the house him and Daryl found. They left a message on the wall for Sophia to stay there." Alana nodded. "Said you and Daryl are going to take your truck and search the other houses too. Thank you. You never met her, but I'm sure she would like you. Thank you for looking for her."

"It's no trouble," Alana told her as she rubbed her arm. "I'd want people looking for me too."

Carol looked around, the group was far enough away, but she lowered her voice anyway. "I'm sorry. For how they treat you and Wilhelm. I don't care what they think, you're good people, just like Daryl."

Alana was unsure what to say, so she excused herself, saying that she should take that shower now, didn't want to go to bed with a wet head.

Heading over to her tent she saw Daryl laying on his cot, twirling an arrow in his hand. She bent down to look in.

"I'm going to take my shower, I'll let you know when I'm done." Daryl mumbled something and nodded.

She grabbed a set of clean clothes from her tent and made her way to the house.

The house was quiet. Everyone was settling down for bed though the sun hadn't gone down yet. The world had gone back to sleeping when the sun went down and waking when it came back up.

When she found the bathroom there was already someone in there. Rick walked by and said it was Lori. She was exhausted and wanted to take a bath. Alana smiled and said it was no problem, that she would just wait out in the living room.

She curled up on the couch and caught herself nodding off. She woke up when Lori came and shook her shoulder.

"Sorry," she said, "lost track of time." She smiled sheepishly at Alana who only laughed lightly.

Alana looked outside and the sun was getting ready to disappear for the night. She did her best to hurry in the bathroom. She was happy to see that Lori had left a pack of shaving razors out along with shampoo and soap.

She couldn't have been in there for more than half an hour, but when she came out the house was dark. Dale was likely already up on his perch on the RV. She walked back to the camp with a towel tossed on her head. Daryl had already zipped his tent up and the light coming from his lantern was turned off. Alana tried peeking in through the mesh window, but could barely make him out. She unzipped the entrance and crawled in, shaking his shoulder.

He woke with a start, hand reaching out for his crossbow. Alana held her hand up in a calming gesture. He looked a bit perturbed that she was in his tent.

"What do ya want?"

"You can take your shower now. Lori got in there before me so I had to wait. I made sure to leave you hot water." She snapped her head down when she heard the splatter of water; her hair was dripping all over the place. She patted the area with her towel before wrapping her hair up in it. Crawling back out of his tent Alana waited for him to come out.

Following him back to the house she waved at Dale atop the RV.

Daryl kept looking back at her, a scowl on his face.

"What you followin' me for?" he asked her.

"My hair is still wet and I don't want to soak my pillow. I'm going to sit in the house till it's dried enough. Besides, the couch is, sadly, more comfortable than my sleeping bag."

At that statement Daryl felt shameful for having a cot for himself. He still felt guilt over not offering his chair to her earlier during dinner. He could handle the group treating him like crap, but when he saw them doing the same to her and Wilhelm it got to him. It was like looking into a mirror. They'd done nothing but try to help and no one appreciated it. Atop all that, what irked him the most, was that the group only appreciated him now that Sophia was missing, now that they needed his skills to find her. And even then he could tell that they didn't have much faith in finding her. They had plenty of hope, but hope doesn't get you very far. And these people easily gave up on hope.

Reaching the house, Alana led the way in, showing him where the bathroom was and even pulling out the towels for him. She showed him where everything was; she had found an electric shaver in one of the drawers. She spun around right before leaving the bathroom, pulling something from her back pocket.

"We have a whole stash of these, little travel kits." She held out a mini toothbrush and toothpaste to him. "Little bit goes a long ways, but don't tell anyone. Wilhelm is obsessed with his toothpaste. He's a toothpaste hoarder," she giggled. Daryl did her best to smile at her. Stepping out she closed the door and headed to the living room.

Again she nodded off on the couch, curled up in the corner. As Daryl left the bathroom he froze, seeing her. He had walked out without a shirt on and instantly dodged back into the bathroom. The scars didn't bother him any, not when no one was looking. He just hated it when people started asking questions. And he'd be damned if he let any of these people know that he had insecurities.

In the bathroom again, Daryl realized he hadn't even brought a clean shirt with him. He wrapped his towel around his shoulders, but it didn't help any. He could see the scars on his torso peeking out. Angrily he threw the towel to the floor.

He could just walk right past her. Not wake her. Head back to his tent and go to bed. He had no obligation to wake her up. That's what he'd do, walk right past her.

His plan was going well until he opened the screen door and it cried out on its hinges. His entire body tightened when he looked back and saw her slowly sitting up. She didn't pay him much attention; pulling the towel off her head she checked her hair. It was as dry as it was going to get. Sighing she stood up and shuffled over to Daryl.

"Let's go to bed," she yawned, rubbing his shoulder as she slipped past him and out the door.

He kept a distance back from her as they headed to the tents. She waved lazily up at Dale on the RV. Daryl could see the stern look the old man was giving him. Here he was, heading back to the tents after taking a shower, no shirt on, with Alana who had already taken her shower and had no real reason for walking out with him.

Daryl mentally cursed at himself.

He didn't need this shit. Especially from Dale, grandfather to all.

Alana hadn't had such peaceful sleep in forever, didn't matter that it was on a couch. It was beyond better than her sleeping bag. Still walking, she was already nodding off again, thinking of the couch. She walked right up to Daryl's tent and started unzipping it. Before crawling in she saw the cot and shook her head. She stood back and looked at the tent.

"Not my tent," she mumbled. Turning round she eyed Daryl tiredly.

Stifled laughter caught Daryl's attention and he looked over at Alana's actual tent. Wilhelm was sitting just inside, reading a book. He came out and helped Alana over to their tent.

"Think she's funny now, you should see her when she's drunk, like a baby discovering it has hands," he whispered. He waved at Daryl and said goodnight before heading back in to the tent.

Just before he fell asleep Daryl heard Alana mumbling. He couldn't be sure what all she was saying, but he was pretty sure he heard, "His cot is mine."


	12. Chapter 12

**Time for another chapter! **

**If you left a review and I haven't gotten back to you yet I apologize. Been busy busy busy, but will be replying back soon. Hope you all enjoy this chapter. I had started part of it last week and stayed up all night into the morning today to get it done. Was going to break it up into two chapters, but decided against it, really wanted to get to a certain point before stopping. Will do my best to have the next chapter up next Sunday too. Oh and I will be postponing some events from the show or altogether skipping them. In the comics the group spends weeks on Hershel's farm, so I'm likely going to be going along with the comics more so than the show as far as timeline goes. **

**But enough of my ramblings, let's get back to the story!**

_Italics = _Speaking German for Alana and Wilhelm

Wilhelm sat in the tent, legs stretched out. Glenn had taken the last watch during the night; he and Wilhelm were the only ones awake so far. When Rick came out from the house, a basket under his arm, the rest of the group started waking up, popping their heads out of their tents. Those awake enough to hear what he had to say were told that breakfast would was on Hershel's family. In the basket were eggs, sausage links, a stick of butter, and Rick said biscuits were in the oven inside. Maggie was going to bring them out once they were ready.

One by one they headed into the house to clean up in the bathroom, each carrying their own towel aside from Wilhelm and Alana. As everyone came back from the house they gathered around the fire pit. Except Wilhelm and Alana. He had beckoned her to follow him back to their tent. Alana was brushing her hair out, trying to get it into a ponytail.

"_You're going to go with Daryl today. Take the truck and look around some nearby houses for Sophia."_

"_What about you? What are you going to do?"_

"_Head back to the house we saw yesterday. See if Sophia went back there. I'll take someone with me. It'll be quick, just take a look then head back."_

Alana winched as she pulled her own hair in the ponytail. "I can take my crossbow, maybe Daryl will teach me how to shoot."

Wilhelm shook his head. "No. Take the rifles. I'll get some extra ammo from Hershel. Daryl can teach you later. Here," he said, reaching into the tent and pulling out a small pack. He had filled it with water and small snacks. "And there's enough for both of you, so share."

"_Yes, father,"_ Alana replied drearily. Her face fell quickly. She hadn't spoken to their father in so long now. Part of her began to wonder if he could still be alive. If mother and grandmother were still alive.

Carol waved over at them. Maggie had just dropped off the biscuits, Rick trailing behind her back to the house. Lori had come out and was sitting on the log, a plate already in her lap. Glenn was back on the rock, everyone else in their same spots except Shane, who was sitting with Lori on the log. Carol handed Wilhelm and Alana plates.

"Good morning," she said to them. "How did you sleep?"

They both shrugged their shoulders. "Better then sleeping in trees," Wilhelm said.

As they turned round to join the group Alana saw that Daryl had taken the stool. The folding chair he had been sitting in the night before was empty. Seemed that no one wanted to sit so closely to him. Without care Alana took the spot, giving a nod to Daryl and saying good morning to the others. Wilhelm took the other chair next to the log.

Halfway through her breakfast, Alana realized she didn't have anything to drink. Dale had brought out an ice chest filled with bottles of water and the occasional soda or sports drink. All of them hot. Alana considered walking over and digging through it, but on second thought went back to the tent. With a smirk she grabbed two bottles of Big Red. On returning to the group she could feel the others staring at her hands. A pitiful groan from Glenn had her smiling. She turned around to face him and tossed the second bottle at him.

"No way!" he exclaimed. "Are you sure? I-I can't take this," he stuttered.

Alana shrugged, rubbing her head. "Longer I keep them, worse it'll taste."

Glenn couldn't decide if he wanted to chug the bottle right away or cherish it, sip by little sip. He took a gulp and smiled widely at everyone, his lips already turning red. He then began going off, saying how he could ask Hershel and his family if there were any stores nearby, hoping there might still be some sodas left over from scavenging. The others agreed, if only to get him to be quiet. The sugar in that soda was kicking in quickly.

Alana looked down at Daryl and saw his bottle of water was nearly empty. She had about a fourth of her Big Red left. Tapping him on the shoulder with it she offered him the rest. He only took a small sip before handing it back to her.

"So," Lori started, "who's all heading out today?" She looked round the group. She knew most the men would be heading out, just wasn't sure who would stay behind. While Lori understood they wanted to find Sophia—she wanted them to find Sophia—but what left her uncomfortable was that their strongest men would likely be heading out. She wasn't sure enough about Hershel and his family to feel safe if something were to happen on the farm. Not to mention the men would likely take a majority of their firepower with them.

Shane leaned forward on the log, hunching his shoulders and rolling his neck. "Me and Rick are gonna check out the road, see if Sophia went back there. Saw a housing development on that map of Hershel's. Probably check that out too."

"I'm going back to the house Daryl and I found yesterday. Left a sign for Sophia to stay there if she came back to hide." Wilhelm looked over at Alana. "Alana and Daryl are going to take a look at some other nearby houses. Take the truck. If they find anything in the houses we could use they can toss it in the back."

Everyone's forks moved slower to their mouths as Wilhelm said this. It was obvious Shane wanted to say something, but from the look Lori was giving him, looked like he decided against opening his mouth.

"You're going alone?" The question was from Carol. She was still back over at the picnic table. "No one's going with you?" A couple of the group shuffled their feet under her accusing stare.

"I'll go with you. I'm quick."

It was Glenn. T-Dog had been about to speak up, but Glenn knew with that wound still healing on his right arm he wouldn't be at his best.

"Alright then. Will you need a weapon?"

"…I have a really big knife," Glenn offered. Wilhelm laughed, shaking his head.

"Sounds good then. "We'll be going on foot. Won't be too hard to get there. Just take a look in the house then come back."

The group began to clean up, Carol taking care of the dishes. Before everyone could head off to do their own things Lori asked everyone to wait around. She walked quickly to the house, sticking her head inside. Everyone had begun taking steps towards the house.

There was a small eruption of applause and cheers as Rick helped Carl walk out onto the porch. He had one of Rick's undershirts on, to keep air circulating around the wound. Lori smiled proudly, clapping for her son.

Carl looked round at everyone. When he didn't see Sophia he asked, "Are you all going out to look for Sohpia? I want to help too, I can help look for her."

Everyone remained silent as Rick and Lori stepped in to do some parenting. "No," Lori said repeatedly, shaking her head. "Hershel worked hard to fix you up, going out there and tearing up those stitches will be no way to thank him."

"Your mother's right. Once Hershel says you're all better we'll talk about you coming along with us," Rick added. Everyone knew Rick would make sure Hershel waited as long as possible before telling Carl he was in the clear.

"Don't worry buddy," Shane said, stepping up on to the porch and ruffling Carl's hair. "You'll get a chance to come out with us. Promise."

Lori pulled Carl away, leading him down the steps. "Come on, Patricia said we can help feed the chickens. You haven't seen the chickens yet. And Maggie said she's going to show you how to milk a cow."

Carl was upset about not being allowed to go with the others to search for Sophia, but he couldn't help being just a tiny bit excited about the chickens and cows.

"Right then," Rick said as he stepped down from the porch, "let's get our gear together and head out. Everyone is to be back before nightfall. And I want everyone to have a gun only as a secondary option. If we don't need to fire them let's keep it that way."

"I'll get some of ours," Wilhelm offered. He left the group and headed into the house, looking for Hershel.

He found him as he was coming down the stairs. He said good morning.

"Good morning Wilhelm, what can I do for you?" Hershel asked, making his way to the kitchen where he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"I'm going to need those packs of mine. Need to get some bats and such for the others. Also, I'd like to get some extra ammo and a gun for Alana. She's going out with Daryl to search the other nearby houses. I'd feel more comfortable knowing she has more than enough ammo to defend herself if something happens. Now of course, once they get back we'll bring it all back to you."

Hershel thought it over as he took a couple sips from his cup, looking out the back window. "I understand your concern. I'd want Maggie armed with everything possible if I sent her out with a stranger. Alright then, I'll bring them out and you can take what you need."

Wilhelm smiled. "Thank you. Soon as she gets back we'll bring everything back in here."

Hershel grabbed the packs and brought them out into the dining room, setting them on the table. Wilhelm began going through them, pulling something out here and there. A machete, two baseball bats, another sniper rifle and gun. He was looking over the boxes of ammo when Lori walked in. When she stopped and looked at them Wilhelm explained why Hershel was holding onto the packs.

"I thought after what happened with Carl that it would be better, the less available guns laying around the lesser the chance of accidents happening." Lori agreed. She excused herself as she went into the room Carl was staying in and came back out with Rick's hat for Carl.

"They don't trust you," Hershel said once she left the house.

Wilhelm smirked. "They don't have to trust me to need or want me in the group. Another person in the group just means their chance of getting bitten decreases. I'm just another person that could get attacked instead of them. Alana too. Doesn't matter much to me, at least not at the moment." He looked out the front door. "I'd be more comfortable if you kept these somewhere else from now on," he said, zipping the packs back up. "Upstairs somewhere." Hershel understood what he meant and nodded.

"I appreciate the precaution you're taking," Hershel said before heading towards the stairs.

Outside everyone had gathered around Wilhelm and Alana's truck. The maps were spread out and Rick talking.

"Daryl and Alana are going to check out this whole section. They're going to stick to the roads, check the houses, then head back. Shane and I will head back to the highway, see if Sophia is there. If not, then we'll head up here to that housing development. Now there's no telling how many, if any, walkers could be in there, but we'll try to be as thorough as possible. Wilhelm and Glenn will head back to the house Daryl found yesterday." Rick looked over his back as Wilhelm joined them, his arms full. "I want you two in and out. That goes for all of us. I don't want anyone out there longer than needed."

"So what, jus' want us to peek in the windows then hightail it outta there?" Daryl asked with a huff. "Not much of a search party."

"Be as thorough as you can, but don't waste anytime just standing around. Get in and get out. If Sophia's holed up somewhere she'll hear us and come out right away. Now Tommy gave me some cans of spray paint." Rick tossed one to Daryl and the second can he held on to. "We'll leave messages for her." He stood back and Wilhelm stepped forward, dropping the load in his arms on the truck's hood.

He handed out the machete and baseball bats. Shane and Rick took the baseball bats. When no one took the machete Wilhelm picked it up. Alana came walking up to the men. Wilhelm pushed the rifle and gun towards her. Rick showed her on the map where they would be heading.

"Everyone ready then? Alright, make sure you get back before nightfall. Remember, you get in and get out."

Rick and Shane started heading off towards Shane's recently acquired car. Shane looked back, a brow raised towards the guns on the truck. "He brings us bats while she gets the guns? Don't make no sense to me."

"She's his sister. He's just making sure she's protected. That's all."

"Yeah, then why he sending her off with him? I don't trust them Rick. Maybe there's a reason they weren't part of no group when they found us. In case you forgot, they found us. We didn't find them." Shane opened the door and slid into the car.

"None of that matters," Rick told him as they drove off. "If something happens, we'll deal with it. Hershel has all their weapons anyways."

Wilhelm and Glenn started off rather quickly. With a wave of his hand Wilhelm walked off from Alana and Daryl. "You listen to him, do what he says," he called back to Alana.

"You…you aren't worried?" Glenn asked quietly.

"What should I be worried about?"

"Well, you know, with Alana going off with Daryl and all. He wouldn't hurt her I mean, he wouldn't purposely hurt anyone, well not anyone who didn't deserve it in his opinion." Glenn stopped his rambling, swinging his really big knife around. "Sorry. Daryl doesn't it make easy to be friends with him. Guess everyone is shocked and kinda freaked out, worried, that you guys are, close to him."

"Alana and I have been on our own for quite a bit. Any group we were a part of, we were the outsiders."

"You come across many others? Survivors?"

Wilhelm nodded. "Plenty, at the start." He left it at that. There was no need to tell him about those they had come across. Or what had happened to them. "Once we get down into the clearing we'll have to be quiet."

Glenn nodded.

Alana had grabbed the extra guns and ammo and placed them in the truck. Rick had left the map for them to take so they would know which roads to take. Alana brought her own rifle and machete with her, along with the bag Wilhelm had packed for her and Daryl.

Squinting against the sun Daryl looked over at her. "You ready yet?"

"You driving?" she asked as she got in on the passenger's side.

"Like you'd know how to drive, wheels on the wrong side for ya, ain't it?" Daryl started the engine and began driving round to the front of the house. He slowed down as Carol came out from the house, waving at them. She walked up to Alana's side.

"I made ya'll some sandwiches. It's just peanut butter and jelly," she said as she held a small brown bag out to Alana.

They both mumbled their thanks, Alana taking the bag and setting it between them in the truck. Carol grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"You both be safe out there." She walked away before either could say anything.

As they were nearing the end of Hershel's driveway Alana spoke.

"I guess now I shouldn't mention that I don't like peanut butter."

A couple minutes later Daryl looked over her like she had grown a second head. "What kind of person doesn't like peanut butter?"

The houses were far off from the road, just like Hershel's. Some were set up similar to Hershel's but most of them were surrounded by woods. The roads were narrow and turned every which way. For the first house they had parked the truck close to the main road, turning it around so they'd be ready to get out quickly if need be.

Alana slung her rifle on her back and walked behind Daryl with her machete in hand. The handgun Wilhelm gave her was tucked away behind her back. Daryl only had his crossbow. That and the can of spray paint. Seeing that Alana had large pockets on her pants, he tossed the can to her.

The house was empty. Didn't look like anyone had been in it. No bodies were found either. The place had been packed away. The kitchen was bare aside from a can of beans and few cans of tomato soup. Alana grabbed them all and put them in the bag Wilhelm had given her. She had slung it over her shoulder along with the rifle. If something happened and they couldn't get back to the truck they would at least need some food and water to hold them over.

While Daryl kept lookout Alana spray painted a message on the house for Sophia. She didn't mention where they were staying. Only for her to stay put and wait for them.

Daryl rarely spoke to her unless telling her to get behind him or to stay behind. She wasn't enjoying the sexist treatment, but she said nothing. At least he knew what he was doing and she wouldn't have to worry about him getting them both killed by rashly acting out. She was glad she had been sent off with him and not Glenn. Though Wilhelm could take care of himself, she wasn't sure she'd be all that comfortable with being paired with Glenn. He was a good guy, but in a world like this she'd rather take her chances with Daryl.

At the second house Alana again grabbed what she could from the kitchen. With some hesitance from Daryl she went through the bedrooms, grabbing pillows and sheets and blankets. She had wanted to check the closets, look for winter clothing, but Daryl said they had been inside too long and needed to get back to the truck. He grabbed the can of spray paint from her side-leg pocket and left another message for Sophia. He led the way back; Alana's arms were full with the sheets and pillows.

Before reaching the third house they had to stop the truck. The small dirt road was blocked by an old, beat up red truck. It was flipped over. Alana got out and looked through the rifle's scope. She could see someone inside the truck.

They were dead.

Question was, were they _dead_ dead, or just dead?

She took a look around the edge of the woods nearby. There was no movement. Walking to the back of the truck and getting into the bed she looked above and past the flipped truck. She could see the house up ahead.

"No movement," she told Daryl. "Someone in the truck though, can't tell if they'll try to bite us when we walk by."

"Only one way to find out," Daryl said, walking ahead. Alana jumped out from the truck bed and caught up with him.

If the man inside the truck was a walker Alana never knew, soon as Daryl was close enough he shot an arrow in the man's head. Walking by he yanked it out, wiping the bits of brain and skull off on his pants before reloading it.

There was one walker in the house. Downstairs, sitting in the living room on the couch. Its face was half eaten away. Neither of them could tell if it had once been a man or woman. Alana stepped forward, slicing down on its head with her machete. She held its head down as she pulled the machete free.

"I don't like being useless," she told Daryl when he looked at her with a blank face. "My brother sent me with you for a reason. To help."

Daryl shrugged. "Never said I needed help."

"Would you prefer I go sit and wait in the truck then?" She fought the urge to shift all her weight all onto one foot, sticking a hip out. She stood with her knees locked. Daryl didn't say anything. "We're outsiders just as much as you are. Now come on, in and out, remember?"

Alana headed into the kitchen. The cupboards were more fully stocked than the other houses. She grabbed as many cans as she could and stuffed them in her bag. Daryl waited at the doorway for her. The house was only one story and so they moved quickly through the rest of it. There were two bedrooms. Only one looked like it had been used regularly. Daryl and Alana guessed that the man in the truck had lived here alone. Alana grabbed more pillows and a few long sleeve button-up shirts.

Back in the truck Alana opened up the bag of sandwiches. She handed one to Daryl who ate it as he drove. He watched Alana from the corner of his eye to see if she would take a bite of hers.

"Wanna be useful? Eat that whole sandwich and I'll make ya useful."

Alana stared at him uncertainly. "Doing what? Cleaning your arrows for you? Tearing the sleeves off your shirts for you? What? I haven't seen you wearing one shirt with sleeves on it."

"Why don't you like peanut butter?"

"…it feels weird."

"Thought you were a army girl, taste don't matter when you're trying to survive."

Alana laughed. "Did my brother tell you that? That sounds like something he would say."

"Eat the stupid sandwich…and I'll let you drive the truck back."

It would be nice to drive, to do something normal. With the windows rolled down. If only the radio worked. It was silly, that such a small thing like driving would make her happy, but it did. Just the thought of it made her happy.

Without a word she took a small, tiny bite. She wiggled her feet as she chewed, slamming her hand on the side of the door as she took another bite and then another. She could feel the peanut butter on the roof of her mouth. She suddenly felt like a helpless dog. Daryl must have had the same thought for he was doing his best to not look at her, an evil smirk on his face. She muffled to him to stop it. She was at least thankful that he wasn't laughing at her. Didn't seem that he laughed out loud much.

Shoving the other half of the sandwich in her mouth Alana scrambled to open a bottle of water. She chugged half of it, trying to get the rest of the sandwich down. Daryl started chewing on his thumbnail, trying to cover the smirk.

"Agh! There, I ate it," Alana said out of breath. She kept smacking her lips, the taste and feel of the peanut butter still in her mouth.

The next two houses they checked were empty. Daryl helped Alana carry back more pillows and this time clothing as well. Jackets and sweaters. The bed of the truck was filling up nicely. Daryl looked out to the woods more than once, wishing he could head in, try to catch them a deer or at least some rabbits. He wouldn't be doing any of that with Alana tagging along. Though he caught sight of a squirrel here and there he didn't do anything. Wandering off for just a moment, anything could happen. And he didn't want to give anyone in the group reason to blame him if something went wrong.

Back in the truck Daryl looked over the map, mentally checking off the houses they had already been to. There were just a couple more nearby that Hershel had marked for them.

Alana took a look at her watch. It was a little past 2 in the afternoon.

"Three more houses. Then we'll head back," Daryl told her.

"Then I get to drive back," Alana added.

Daryl slowed down as they came down the next dirt road. The road was wider than the others. Enough room to turn around. He looked down the road and into the rearview mirror. According to the map the road to the house was a long one. He wasn't at east with leaving the truck so far back or leaving it even halfway. Would be better to just drive all the way up. If there were walkers they'd just swing around and head back.

The road was bumpy and the suspension on the truck wasn't the best. Alana reached over to grab her bottle of water that had fallen on the floor, reaching behind her to grab onto the seat. Daryl hit a nasty dip in the road and she lost her grip, sliding right into him, her head hitting his elbow and an arm reaching out to grab his leg for support.

Daryl flinched away like a child afraid of getting cooties.

"_What is wrong with you!"_

Daryl only looked at her with a blank, if only slightly startled, face. Alana shook her head, this time kicking her bottle over towards her before bending over to pick it up.

"_What are you, a virgin? No wonder you're an outsider. Anytime someone is nice to you, you freak out, see?" _she said, poking him. _"This is why no one trusts you." _She poked him again. He slapped her hand away.

Daryl became defensive. "Why don't you try speaking English and stop that! Fucking nazi. Bet you and your brother killed everyone in that hotel for their supplies. That's how you really got that ugly ass scar, isn't it? Did he kill them all or did you get your bit in too?"

Alana's eyes became wide for a second. She turned back ahead and didn't look over at Daryl until they reached the house. Opening the door and stepping out she looked at him with a hard face.

"We did what we had to do. Just like you. You've joined a group that wouldn't care if you never made it back today. Just as they wouldn't care if I didn't make it back."

Alana began heading towards the house, circling round the back. Once out of sight of Daryl she rubbed the back of her neck, holding in a sob. It _was_ ugly. She could feel it. Went nearly all the way down to the base of her spine. It was deep; Wilhelm couldn't believe that nothing had been damaged.

Coming back round to the front Alana met Daryl at the front door of the house. Daryl opened his mouth, but Alana cut him off.

"Don't bother. "Let's just get this over with."

The bottom floor was clear. Daryl led them up the stairs. The house was rather large with four rooms upstairs, along with a bathroom. Alana stayed on the stairs while Daryl checked the rooms. He started from the far left and was making his way back. He looked through the closets, grabbing some clothing and tossing them over his shoulder. As he passed the stairs he looked down to Alana. She had her back to the wall, her machete down at her side. She was rubbing the back of her neck, tracing the scar. Her eyes glistened.

"Shit!" Daryl said, tossing the clothing from his shoulder and taking aim at the walker at that had just turned the corner at the base of the stairs. Alana quickly snapped to, taking a few steps up.

Daryl came down to her side, another arrow already loaded. "Get behind me," he told her, pulling her by the arm. He took the steps slowly, heading down the stairs. Another walker stumbled and lurched forward at him once he reached the base, turning the corner. Alana jumped out from behind him, bringing her machete down on its head quickly.

That's when they heard it. They heard it without even having to see it.

There was no way out, the house was becoming surrounded by walkers. Up was their only option. Daryl pulled Alana in front of him and pushed her up the stairs. Once at the top he turned around. He shot off another arrow as Alana stepped to his side, grabbing her rifle from her back. She took two walkers down before telling Daryl to check out the windows. There had to be a way out.

Daryl began punching the walls as he ran from room to room. The place was surrounded. There had to be at least thirty walkers outside, no telling how many had gotten in the house. They must have been following them from each house; truck must have caught their attention. Running to the last room Daryl could see part of the roof that hung over below the window. The truck was close.

Rushing out he saw Alana had stepped further back into the hallway. The bodies below were piling up, but that didn't stop the walkers from trying to get to them. "Come on!" he yelled at her, pulling her away. Once in the room they pushed a dresser up against the door, along with the bed. The walkers hadn't made it to the hallway yet, but they were getting closer.

Daryl ran to the window, tearing the curtains off. "Pick some of those bastards off, make our way down, then over to the truck. We'll come back later with the others and take care of the rest. Now come on!"

Alana and Daryl began picking off walkers. Alana cursed. "There's too many! We just need to get out of here, now!"

Daryl went out first, testing the overhang. He held his out to Alana. The walkers were at the door now, banging, clawing. Without a second thought she grabbed his hand and crawled out of the window. With the rifle slung on her back again she pulled her gun and started shooting.

Daryl was inching towards the edge, ready to swing down when Alana swallowed a scream. The overhang roof was giving way, swaying side to side. She jumped back, reaching for the window as the roof gave way under her feet.

Grunting Alana swung her legs side to side, trying to find her footing. Without the roofing the drop was too far. She looked down to the pile of wood and tiles. As she got a leg hooked on the window she turned back to see Daryl standing up from the debris.

"Run!" she screamed at him. He was looking around him, trying to find Alana. "Run!" she screamed again. He looked up and for the first time she saw him terrified. "Get the truck!"

The walkers were piling up against the door. It wouldn't hold for much longer. She grabbed her rifle and began picking off walkers as Daryl ran for the truck. He slammed on the gas, tires squealing and kicking up dirt as it fishtailed.

Daryl punched the dashboard.

The collapsed roof was in the way. There was no way for him to get under the window. He drove in circles, running walkers over, but the bodies were getting in the way, if he kept at it the truck would get stuck. He had to try and get over the debris, to get to Alana. As he was lining the truck up a shot was fired at him, going through the window shield.

Alana was straddling the window, rifle in hand. She shook her head. She shot again at him before turning around and disappearing into the room.

Over the coughing of the engine Daryl could hear as the door was broken down.

Alana took the walkers out as they came in with her rifle. The machete and gun she was saving for last. She laughed ironically when she realized she was stuck. Every other time Wilhelm had had a plan. He always had a plan.

But Wilhelm wasn't there with her now. It was just her.

She could hear the truck as it made its way down the road and away from the house. Away from her. And yet she was oddly comfortable with her situation. Doubtless that some of the walkers would follow the truck. If she was lucky they'd keep following it instead of giving up and coming back to the house.

In thirty minutes she had used up nearly all her ammo. The rifle was out. She had a total of 17 bullets left for her handgun, but she only counted 16.

"_Always count your ammo,"_ Wilhelm had told her once. _"Always count it, but never count the last bullet. The last one is for you. Never lose count. You remember how I showed you? How to hold it?" _He had asked her. She had nodded, sticking the barrel in her mouth, pointing upwards.

Looking down at the gun now she could remember, she could taste the cold metal on her tongue.

**Aaahhh! I'm so evil for ending the chapter here, but I couldn't help it hehe. **

**This semester is going to be a pain in the arse, tons of reading to do, so the more reviews you guys leave the more persuaded I will be to ignore school work and write more of this story **


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter was a blast to write! Hope you all enjoy it ****J**** be sure to leave your reviews! Also, as we get closer to the story catching up with the show, I'd love to know what you think about where I should take the story from here. Should I follow along with the show once its starts back up, or should I follow along with the comics instead? The only downside to following the show is that new chapter postings will likely take longer. Let me know what you all think in the reviews! **

It was over an hour's drive, close to two even; back to Hershel's farm. Any cars he and Alana had come across that were in their way, they had already moved them. All Daryl had to do was drive past them. He clipped more than a couple though, the truck bed fishtailing out. There were a few stray walkers on the roads. He didn't even twitch the steering wheel their way, he couldn't spare to waste any time.

They were going to blame him, he knew it. He fucking knew it. He didn't have a clue what he would tell Wilhelm. Didn't know what he would tell any of them. He just needed to get someone to go back with him. She had plenty of ammo. It would last her till he was able to come back with the others to save her. The door was barricaded.

Daryl shook his head. He didn't have to tell them he had heard the door being broken down. That she couldn't even climb out the window onto the roof. He didn't have to tell them that she fired at him, told him to run. That she had gone back into the room without a glance back.

He'd just tell the others that she was trapped in the house. Upstairs. Locked up in a room and they had to go back and get her. Even if no one wanted to go, if they all chalked her up as dead already, Wilhelm would go. He would at least go. That was his sister. He wouldn't just leave her like that.

There was something hot running down his face and Daryl realized he was crying. He punched the seats, using every curse word he could think of.

It was his fault. All over again. He should have never tried to lead them through the cars on the highway. He should have never riled Alana up like that. He shouldn't have said those things. Those stupid, angry little distractions got them in this mess. He didn't have a clue where Sophia was, he admitted that to himself. But he knew exactly where Alana was. At the Brown's house. Upstairs, last room on the right. There was a dresser and bed blocking the door. What was left of the door. Maybe the walkers hadn't gotten in yet, the dresser should hold them back a bit longer. Give Alana enough time to think of something…

She was going to die. He kept thinking it, no matter how much he hated it. She was going to die, all because she saved his ass. She made herself the bait so that the walkers wouldn't follow him. No one risked their neck for Daryl Dixon. No one ever died for Daryl Dixon.

He owed it to her. To go back. And he'd be damned if he didn't make it back to the farm in under an hour.

Shane and Rick had been the first of the three groups to return to the farm. There had been no sign of Sophia on the highway. The supplies and food they had left for her were still there, untouched. The housing development wasn't too large, but it was cramped. The houses were practically on top of each other and the roads curved every which way. It just being the two of them, Rick hadn't wanted to risk going too far in. They checked the first four houses then left. There hadn't been any walkers in them, but there was no telling what was waiting for them further in.

Back at the farm they both took over watch from Dale. Rick watching the road and Shane watching behind the farm, both waiting for the others to come back.

"You really think she's still alive out there?" Shane asked, rolling the baseball bat between his hands. "Know it ain't been that long, but you know the rules. After 48 hours we're not looking to rescue anybody. Becomes recovery."

At first Rick didn't say anything, thinking it over. Half the time he didn't want to admit to Shane that he was right. "Don't matter how much time has gone by, we still have to find her."

Shane shook his head, "I just think it's a waste of time man, that's all. We gonna risk our necks out there for someone who might already be dead."

"Well keep it to yourself. Carol doesn't need to hear any of that. If it was Carl out there I'd be looking night and day for him. If it was Lori out there, I'd be looking." Rick couldn't see it, but Shane tensed when he mentioned Lori.

"We just can't keep it up forever. We need to decide when enough is enough."

Rick cut him off when he heard the truck coming. And it was coming fast. Daryl nearly crashed into the fencing as he turned onto the path leading up to the house.

"What the hell is wrong with them, him letting little Miss German drive?" Shane asked with just a glance back. When he saw that Rick had stood he looked back. "What? What is it? Don't tell me it's really her driving."

"I don't see anyone else in the car."

Rick climbed down the RV speedily, running towards the truck as it got closer and he could see that Daryl really was the only one in it. All the noise he was making with the truck had brought nearly everyone out into the opening.

Daryl flew out from the truck, slamming the door. He started pacing around, grabbing bats and guns from everyone. Rick stood in his way, hands up, as Daryl tried to wrestle the shotgun from Dale's hands.

"Daryl, what's going on? Just tell us what happened. Where's Alana?"

Daryl stopped in his tracks, having yanked the shotgun away from Dale. He stood for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He kept wiping at his eyes. With the amount he was sweating, the others wouldn't be able to tell he had crying. Least he hoped they wouldn't.

With everyone staring at him, waiting for an answer, Daryl acted out the only way he knew how. In anger.

"They fucking got us! She locked herself up in a room. I couldn't get to her. I told her I would come back, _we'd _come back. Where's Wilhelm?" he scanned over the faces of everyone around him, huffing.

"Him and Glenn aren't back yet," Dale told him. "They should be on their way back though—"

Daryl shouted, "We can't fucking wait! That door won't hold forever…I told her to block the door and wait. We need to go now."

It was a lie. More than one lie. They didn't have to know though. They were going to blame him anyways, at least this way maybe they wouldn't be so angry with him.

"We need guns," Daryl told Dale. He was quiet now. Dale nodded, slowly stepping back and then rushing quickly over to the RV.

"Gonna be dark soon," Shane said, kicking at the dirt, hands on his hips.

"Then we need to hurry!" Daryl told him.

"You want us to risk our asses? What if we get stuck out there? You said she blocked the door, if we're gonna go get her we should wait till tomorrow when we have more daylight."

"Daryl," Rick said, taking his attention away from Shane. "How many walkers were there?"

_Lie. Lie and they'll go. _"I don't know. Sixty maybe. I don't know how many got inside."

Rick looked over at Shane. "That's too many for just one person to fight off. Not when stuck in a room."

"We can't keep dividing the group up like this Rick," Shane said angrily.

"And we can't just leave her out there!" Lori shouted over him. Everyone parted as she stepped forward towards Rick and Daryl. "We protect our own. And she's one of us now." She may not have been happy about Alana and Wilhelm joining the group, but she was going to side with her husband. And losing two good shooters wasn't something they could afford. Having all the guns that Alana and Wilhelm had brought didn't mean a thing if they didn't have enough people to wield them.

"We can't wait for Wilhelm to get back. We'll take Shane's car. We can fit more people in it. Daryl, you know the way, so you'll drive. Now four should do." Rick stared at the others, waiting to see who else would volunteer to help. T-Dog stepped forward. Shaking his head, Shane did as well. "Grab whatever you need," Rick told them before grabbing the pack of guns from Dale and opening it up. "Take everything. We still have Wilhelm's packs inside, if you need them," he said to the others staying behind.

Crouching down in front of Carl, Rick grabbed his shoulder. "I'll be right back, ok? We're just going to get Alana and come back." Carl nodded quickly. He waited till his father turned around before wiping at his eyes. Lori walked over to him.

"They know exactly where she is, they'll bring her back," she reassured him.

"But they knew where Sophia was and then she wasn't there anymore."

Lori couldn't think of anything to say to him as they watched the car speed off.

They had maybe two hours of daylight left.

When the dust had settled that had been kicked up Dale called out to everyone.

Wilhelm and Glenn were back.

Lori and Carl were sitting on the porch with Carol. Andrea was inside the RV cleaning her gun; taking it apart, putting it back together again. Lori told Carl to stay with Carol while she went and spoke with Wilhelm. Andrea came out from the RV. Once they rounded the house Glenn started saying that they had found nothing.

Lori held a hand up at him. Glenn's sentence faded out. Wilhelm looked around, noticing that so many were missing. "What's going on?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"Daryl and Alana ran into some trouble. She got stuck in a house. Daryl came back to get backup. Him, Rick, T-Dog, and Shane went back to the house to get her. They couldn't wait for you to get back. Sun won't be up much longer."

"She have any ammo on her? Anything to defend herself?" Wilhelm asked, breathing through his mouth.

Lori wasn't sure. "Daryl came back, saying he needed more weapons, so yes, I'm sure she had the other guns and that's why he needed more."

Wilhelm ran a hand through his hair, biting the inside of his cheek. "Nothing I can do then, is there? Just…wait for them to come back." He started walking past them, wanting to get back to his tent, clean it up.

"They'll bring her back Wilhelm," Andrea said, reaching out and grabbing his arm. She had trouble with her next words. "Daryl…was upset when he got here. He won't come back without her. Neither will the others." Dale walked up as Andrea finished speaking to Wilhelm.

Wilhelm laughed quietly. "I know what you all are trying to do. I know they'll bring her back, in what state…" he trailed off. He pointed over at the truck. "I'll go through what they brought back. I had told her to get extra pillows and blankets. Clothes too. When everyone gets back we can pick through it, take what we need."

Wilhelm walked off to his tent, setting his stuff down. Poking in he grabbed a bottle of water before heading over to the truck. He exhaled loudly as he lowered the tailgate. Was he worried about Alana? Of course, but what good would worrying do?

Andrea, Dale, Glenn, and Lori were still at the front of the house watching him.

"Does he even care?" Andrea asked. She couldn't believe how casual Wilhelm was acting. Alana could be dead and he wasn't even letting it faze him. "It's like she's already dead to him." Her thoughts turned to Amy.

Dale disagreed. "They only have each other. We can't imagine that he never thought this could happen. He knew it could. He…likely prepared her for this. I mean just look at them, both were in the army. And we don't have a clue what they did. For all we know, they've been trained for situations with no way out."

"I'm going to go talk with Carl. He, he needs to be ready, in case they don't bring Alana back." Lori walked back to the house, sitting down the Carl.

Andrea shook her head. "Why did he ever let her go off with Daryl?"

Dale looked at her with a hint of shock.

Glenn said, "Does that even matter now? If it hadn't been Daryl it would have just been one of us. At least Daryl got out. You so sure you would have gotten out?"

"I'm going to go back to watch," Dale said with a sigh.

"I'll go help Wilhelm—"

"He probably wants to be alone right now son," Dale told him.

Andrea went back into the RV and Glenn was left alone, looking around, trying to figure out what to do besides wait. Then he decided, if they brought Alana back, tomorrow he would head out into the nearby towns and find some soda for her.

As he walked to his tent he could hear the muffled cries of Carl.

Driving down the road Daryl was becoming more upset. The others were telling him to slow down. That they'd make it there in time. There was nothing to worry about. Daryl knew better. With the walkers breaking down the door Alana could already be dead. The more Daryl ignored them, the more the others began to wonder if they were already too late.

There was half an hour before dark when they came down the dirt road leading to the house. Daryl had finally slowed down.

"What the hell is that?" Shane asked, leaning forward from the back seat with T-Dog.

They could see the fallen roof.

And the bodies of the walkers all around the house.

"What the fuck happened here? You ain't telling us everything, are you?" Shane asked, opening the door.

"Does it fucking matter? Couldn't tell you or else you'd all never have come," Daryl bit back, grabbing a shotgun.

"Girl is probably already dead," Shane muttered as Rick and T-Dog exited the car and the group made their way to the house.

"Will you just shut the fuck up?" T-Dog said. "We're bringing her back one way or the other." Daryl looked back at him and T-Dog nodded.

"We check the house first before looking for her," Rick said. He then told T-Dog and Shane to wait outside; if walkers showed up they would clear a path back to the car.

As Daryl and Rick made their way into the house the stench doubled. Tripled. The staircase was littered with bodies. Rick coughed.

"Daryl, I need to know what happened," he whispered. "I know you had no choice, but I need to know what happened. In case the others ask."

Daryl looked up the staircase. "She was standing there, I was looking through the rooms. She had said some shit to me, earlier. I got angry. We were distracted. They started coming in through the door. We tried getting out on the roof but it collapsed."

"She got stuck up there and you came back for help. Doesn't explain the bullet holes in truck," Rick added.

The bottom floor was clear, aside from the bodies.

"I was gonna drive the truck over the roof, so she could jump in. She shot at me."

Rick understood then why Daryl had been so upset when he came back to the house. It hadn't been his choice to come back without Alana. He didn't ask him anymore questions.

It took them forever to make it up the stairs. They couldn't be certain that all the walkers were dead. And they couldn't risk hurrying and slipping, possibly getting scratched by their nails or teeth. Rick led the way up; Daryl would have rushed right up.

Reaching the top of the stairs the two men looked at the rooms. Silence. There was nothing but silence. But they couldn't risk calling out to Alana. And so Rick took the first two rooms on the left. He knew which room Alana was in, but he couldn't risk rushing in there and then getting stuck in there himself. He told Daryl to stay where he was while he checked the rooms.

When he came out from the second room Daryl was gone.

"Daryl!" he hissed in a low voice. "Daryl!"

Daryl had climbed through the broken splinters of the door, stepping over the toppled dresser. There had to have been at least twenty walkers in there. There was no clear spot of floor to be seen. Not even the bed could be seen underneath them. He started pushing the bodies with his foot as he held onto his shotgun, ready to shoot. Rick came in, pausing to take in the scene. It was hard to tell what color the walls had once been, not with all the blood.

He was becoming frantic. Daryl began yanking at the bodies, tossing them aside. He grabbed the bodies of two small children and dragged them away from the corner nearest to the window.

Daryl crumpled to the floor. Something like a sob escaped from him and he bit his knuckles before punching the wall. Rick clambered over the bodies to him.

There was Alana, curled up in the corner, covered in blood. There were large stains of blood and gore on her everywhere. Her fingers were wrapped loosely round her handgun, the barrel in her mouth. Daryl reached out, grabbing her shoulder, trying to pull her towards him. He had to bring her back to Wilhelm.

He pulled her hands down.

The gun went off.

Alana started flaying, scratching at Daryl, screaming "No!" at him. It was her last bullet. It was her bullet. _Her _bullet.

Daryl grabbed her, pulling her against his chest and keeping her arms pinned at her sides as he crouched down. Rick rushed over, shushing her. He pushed her hair out of her face, wiping the blood off.

"Alana, Alana, shhhh. Alana, it's us. It's Rick. Look at me. It's just Daryl. Daryl has you. You're ok." He tried stilling her head as she shook it side to side. He had to sit on her legs to keep her from kicking him. "Daryl, let her go," he said, "just let her go."

Daryl hesitated, but let her go, scrambling back quickly and standing up. Alana grabbed at the walls, pushing herself away from Daryl and Rick.

"Alana, just look, it's Daryl. He came back." Rick pushed Daryl forward. They needed to calm her down, she was too close to that window. "What did Wilhelm tell you Alana? He told you to do whatever Daryl says, didn't he?" Daryl looked back at him and Rick nodded.

Taking a couple breaths Daryl looked at Alana. He had no idea what to say to her.

"Ya still wanna drive the truck? I'll…I'll take ya out tomorrow."

"He can take you hunting," Rick added. Alana looked at him quickly, then back to Daryl. Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, I'll take you hunting. Maybe we'll catch Bambi."

"I…I can't remember," Alana started, rubbing her head.

"Doesn't matter," Daryl said, stretching a hand out to her. He tried to get a better footing so he could get closer to her. "We just need to get back to the house. Wilhelm's waiting for ya."

"I can't remember if one of them got me. I…I can't remember." It looked like she was trying to cry, but nothing came out. No tears, no sound. She began hyperventilating, clawing at her chest. She slid down the wall.

Daryl rushed forward and grabbed her, scooping her up in his arms. Rick grabbed his shotgun. In the corner where she had been he spotted the rifles and picked them up. There was no time to console her, no time to make sure she would be ok. They just needed to get her out of there. And not say a word to Shane that she didn't know if she had been bitten.

"Open the back!" Rick yelled as they came running out of the house. No other walkers had shown up. Alana had taken all of them out on her own.

T-Dog ran over to the car, opening the back and Daryl came rushing up.

"What was that shot for?" Shane asked, yanking the driver's door open and getting in.

"She freaked out, let's just get back to the farm," Rick told him, his tone letting Shane know to not say anything else.

Rick sat in the back seat with T-Dog, both men leaning over to the back where Daryl was holding on to Alana. She had passed out. T-Dog had grabbed a bottle of water and was pouring it over Alana's face, trying to clean her up.

"Open her mouth," Rick whispered to Daryl. He directed T-Dog to pour the water in Alana's mouth. She started coughing, streaks of blood dribbling down her chin. She opened her eyes slightly, looking over at Rick.

She could feel herself starting to black out again. The last thing she remembered was someone slightly rocking her.

Daryl pulled her head back, resting his hand on her forehead. He looked up at Rick and T-Dog. Without saying a word the other two men knew that Alana had a fever.

The three men said nothing. They only hoped and prayed that it wasn't too late for Alana.

"It's just the heat," Daryl told them halfway back to the farm. "Been stuck in that room, hotter than hell in there. Just needs a cool bath." Rick and T-Dog nodded their heads in hopeful agreement.

Alana woke up again. She started to fight against Daryl, but when he pressed her harder into his chest she stopped.

"It's just Daryl. Alana. Alana, it's just Daryl," Rick told her. She nodded her head, trying to turn around and see him, her eyes wild. She grabbed onto his wrist, assuring herself that it was really him. That he was real. "Here, you need to gurgle some water, alright, spit it back out." Rick held a bottle of water to her mouth and she took a large swig. "That's it, just spit it out, we'll clean it up later. We're almost there. Wilhelm's waiting for you. Just rest now. You're safe."

Alana nodded off slowly.

T-Dog whistled lowly and slid down in his seat.

"She bit?" Shane asked, looking in the rearview mirror.

"Not. Now," Rick told him.

"You sure you wanna be holding her like that? Might bite down on your hand," Shane said to Daryl.

He felt uncomfortable holding her, but he had to, to make sure she wouldn't freak out on them again.

"She ain't bit," Daryl said through gritted teeth.

As they turned on to the road to Hershel's house Rick turned back round and told Daryl, "I'll have Lori take a look at her. She'll be alright." Then he said a bit louder, "If she was bit she wouldn't have had that last bullet."

Soon as Dale had spotted them, using Alana's night vision goggles, the entire group and even Hershel's family came rushing out to surround the car. Wilhelm stood at the front. It was silent as the men got out from the car. Rick walked to the back and opened it. There were gasps as Daryl slid out, still holding Alana. She was awake, but exhausted. She looked about, her eyes still wild, on edge.

"Maggie, go get a bath ready," Hershel ordered. "Patricia, go get my kit. Bring her this way son." He headed over to the house.

"Come on," Wilhelm said, beckoning Daryl to follow him and Hershel. Wilhelm kept his distance as Alana tried to stand on her own feet. She began to wobble and Daryl picked her back up.

"Lori," Rick began, but he didn't have to finish. Lori quickly followed after the others into the house.

She came down the hallway as Hershel was telling Daryl that he had best wait outside. They were taking her into the bathroom. "Once she's cleaned up we'll bring her out into one of the bedrooms," the older man said. Wilhelm took Alana from Daryl and went into the bathroom with Hershel and Patricia. Not knowing what to do, Daryl slid down the wall in front of the bathroom door. Lori walked slowly up to him and took a spot on the floor.

She didn't know what to say, so she tried to smile.

"She shot at the truck," Daryl said after a few minutes. "Didn't want me to try and get her. We were trying to climb out on the roof when it collapsed. She got back inside. I ran to the truck and tried to drive up, but she wouldn't let me." He didn't care much for speaking with the others in the group, but he needed them to know he didn't leave her behind on purpose.

"She didn't want you to get stuck," Lori offered.

"None of y'all care if something happened to me, why the hell should she?" Daryl asked, staring down the door.

Lori patted her knees. "She knew that if something happened to you that no one would come back for her. You both would have _died_ out there. She took a risk and made you leave. She wouldn't have done that if she didn't believe that you would come back Daryl." Lori sighed. "All this time, they've had each other to depend on. They're like you Daryl, if anyone was going to survive in this world no matter what, it would be the three of you. That's why Wilhelm sent her with you. He knew that in the end she would be safe. Who knows how many others they've come across. One thing I do know, _none_ of them have been as strong as those two, as determined to live. Being out there, on their own, if it was worth betting anymore, I'd bet you that before all this started, they were different people. But this world changed, and so they changed with it. We've all felt it, their eyes watching us when we weren't watching them. Sizing us up, trying to figure us out. I'd say they've figured you out Daryl, and that's why they trust you. Why Alana trusts you." Lori laughed ironically. "And I have to admit, I'm a bit jealous."

Daryl furrowed his brow and looked at Lori. "Why's that?" No one was ever jealous of him.

"Earlier, when I said we protect our own…out of everyone in this group, you're probably the first one they'd call _their _own."

They could hear the water being turned off in the bathroom and Hershel's voice. They were helping Alana out of the tub. They both stood suddenly as the door was opened. Patricia held it while Wilhelm guided Alana out of the room. Her clothes had been tossed at the foot of the tub. The floor was shiny with splattered, bloody water. There was a ring of rusted red around the tub. Alana was still tired; Wilhelm held onto the edges of the towel they had wrapped around her. Daryl hung his head until she had passed him by and was in the room. She left bloodied footprints through the hall. Lori spoke up that Rick had asked her to be in the room with Alana. Hershel made no argument, but asked that she wait until they had Alana in bed. Patricia closed the door to the bedroom, where Carl had slept in just the night before with her and Rick. She then went back into the bathroom to clean up.

Wilhelm opened the door just enough to poke his head out. As Lori stepped forward he pulled the door all the way open. Daryl looked at him, unsure if he should look past him into the room.

"Hershel said she might act out," Wilhelm spoke, when Daryl tried to walk past him down the hall. "Might help if you're in here with her. Help us calm her down."

"I should probably…wash up first," Daryl responded, looking down at himself, blood and who knows what else covering him. Wilhelm nodded and when Patricia passed by he asked her if it would be alright for Daryl to clean up real fast. She quickly grabbed him a clean towel and pushed him into the bathroom. "Just come in when you're ready," Wilhelm said to him before closing the bathroom door.

Daryl stood in front of the sink for a few minutes, not really staring at anything. Everything was blurry, like when you relax your eyes and slowly everything starts to go out of focus. He went to turn on the hot water. He grabbed the nob with the towel, didn't want to get it dirty. He rinsed his face a couple of times, never once looking up in the mirror. Taking a look at his clothes, he was at a loss for what to do.

Patricia knocked at the door. When he opened it she held out a ball of clothes to him. She quickly said how she had gone out to his tent and just grabbed the first things she saw. She apologized for going through his things. She walked away before he could say anything.

He took his time changing. He didn't want to go into that room. Wilhelm appeared calm, but he didn't want to face him. The upside he saw was that at least there would be others in the room. Wilhelm wouldn't try anything with others in the room. He looked around, trying to find a place to put his dirtied clothes. The bathtub was still dirty and so he placed them in there. Would make it easier to clean that way instead of putting them on the floor.

As he stepped out Patricia was coming down the hall again. "I'll wash your clothes for you," she told him, sliding past him and back into the bathroom to continue cleaning. She had already given Hershel his medical kit. And Wilhelm had brought in the pack with his own stash.

He stood before the door, rocking back and forth on his feet. He wasn't sure how loud he should knock. He didn't want to just walk right on in. What if Lori was looking her over? It'd be rude to walk right in. He raised his hand and knocked just above a whisper. Footsteps thudded over to the door and Wilhelm opened it. He ushered Daryl in and pointed him over to an armchair in the corner. Next to the bed.

Wilhelm stood at the foot of the bed. Hershel was going through the medical supplies Wilhelm had brought in. The sheets were pulled back and Alana was lying with just the towel wrapped around her. Daryl kept his head down, only looking at the edge of the bed. When Lori looked over at him and then to Wilhelm, Wilhelm only nodded his head.

"Alana, sweetie, I need to check you, ok? I need to make sure you don't have any, any wounds," Lori said softly to Alana, brushing the hair out of her face. She was awake, but still stunned. Hershel had given her a few swigs of whiskey the moment they got her on the bed. With what she had been through, it didn't take long for it to have an affect on Alana. She slurred an answer to Lori, but she couldn't understand it.

Lori started off by looking at her head, running her hands through her hair, feeling her scalp, making sure her hands came back clean after each run over. Wilhelm had done his best to dry her hair; it was full of tangles. Lori did her best to continuously look at Alana and smile. To give her some sort of comfort even though she doubted that the young woman would remember anything from this night. She checked her arms, raising them up and putting them back down at her sides. Her elbows were a bit beat up, but nothing that wouldn't heal up on its own. Hershel had finished setting aside a couple bottles of medications and turned around to help Lori. He checked Alana's legs. Her knees were torn up something awful. Alana began to whimper and roll her head side to side when he prodded at her knees.

"Shh shh," Lori said to her, stroking her hair. "It's alright." She looked back at Hershel.

"This one's just banged up is all," he told her, indicating Alana's left knee. The right knee was worse. It looked like she had fallen hard on both a couple of times, but that her right one had come in contact with something other than the floor. "I'll need you to help hold her down," he said to Wilhelm. Wilhelm lent down and held her legs to the bed. Hershel grabbed a pair of soft-tipped, long tweezers and began peeling back bits of skin, looking for anything that looked like bite marks.

Alana cried out and tried to push Lori away from her. Lori called out for Daryl to help her. She pulled him forward and had him hold her shoulders down. Alana continued to cry; Lori moved to the other side of the bed and grabbed Alana's head and held it in place, begging her to look only at her, that everything would be ok.

Hershel stood back, hands raised. "Let her go, it's alright. She's alright." They all stood back and watched as Alana curled up on her side, hugging her knees to her chest. "Let her be for a moment." Red splotches began to spread out on the towel from her knees.

When her breathing steadied Lori stepped forward again. "Alana, can you sit up for me?" She reached over and rolled Alana over towards her. She helped her swing her legs over the side of the bed, then she lent down to speak quietly with her. "Do you think you can stand up?" Alana shook her head. "Ok, I'm gonna have Wilhelm hold you up, is that alright? It'll be real fast, I promise." Wilhelm walked over and helped Alana stand. When Hershel began to turn around he motioned for Daryl to do the same.

With her back to him, Wilhelm hooked his arms under Alana's armpits. Lori un-tucked the towel and opened it. There was a gash next to her bellybutton, but it wasn't deep. Within seconds she was wrapping towel back round Alana and Wilhelm was lowering her back onto the bed. Hershel told them to lay her on her stomach. Alana turned her head to the side and stared at Daryl's back.

"How old is that scar?" Hershel asked as they pulled the towel down to Alana's backside. Wilhelm told him maybe two months, three. Daryl turned around to look at what was happening. He made to turn back to the wall, but the pathetic look on Alana's face stopped him. She looked helpless. And frightened. When he looked at her back he saw why.

The scar went from her nape, cutting across her back and ending just above her backside. At some parts it was deeper than at others, wider here then thinner there, as if the man who had done that to her had twisted the knife as it cut into her. On her left shoulder, where the scar was the deepest and widest, a chunk of the scar had been torn away.

Alana already knew what was coming next. She reached out to Daryl as she felt Wilhelm put his weight on the bed, pushing her legs into it. Lori sat on the bed and pushed down at her waist. Alana reached out to Daryl, her fingers clawing at the sheets. With a fear of his own he sat down on the bed and grabbed her hand. Alana took a great gulp right before Hershel began digging around in the wound.

At first Daryl let her squeeze with all that she could on his hand. Didn't hurt that much. But when she turned her head away from him he began to panic. Maybe he was doing something wrong. And so he gently squeezed back. Over her cries Daryl could hear Hershel say that he couldn't stitch the wound back up. They'd have to cauterize it. Alana began to choke on her cries and sobs. Daryl squeezed harder. When he looked up at Lori she was biting down on her bottom lip, tears falling down her face. But Wilhelm was calm. He continued to hold Alana down as Hershel cleaned out the wound.

Hershel hollered out for Patricia. Seconds later she was there in the room. "Get the iron and take it to the kitchen," he told her. Her face whitened for a moment and then Patricia left. Hershel pulled back from the bed and so did the others, allowing Alana to move freely. She instantly turned to her side again, facing Daryl, and clung to his arm.

Hershel pulled Wilhelm out of the room. "I can't tell if she was bitten," he said in a low voice. "All I can do is close it up for now and wait. With her other wounds, I can't tell with them either. We just have to wait."

Wilhelm nodded. "I understand."

"Now she does have a fever, but that could be from exhaustion, being cooped up in that house for so long. We'll just have to wait and see. If it's just a plain old fever, it should go down in the next hour or so." Hershel walked off into the kitchen where he poured rubbing alcohol over the iron and wiped it down before plugging it in. He stood there and waited for it to get hot.

Wilhelm walked back into the room. Lori was running her fingers through Alana's hair and Daryl was still holding onto her hand. Alana looked over when he came back in.

_"Hey,"_ he said to her, sitting on the side of the bed next to Daryl. He patted her leg. _"Hershel's going to fix that wound on your back, but it's going to hurt. When he comes back in here, don't look at him, ok? Just keep looking at Daryl. Don't look away from him." _The door opened and Hershel walked in, Patricia behind him. Alana began crying again, inching closer to Daryl, reaching out to him with her other hand. She kicked at Wilhelm as he tried to flip her back on to her stomach, his knee digging into the bottom of her spine. Alana clawed out at Daryl and Lori, trying to find anyone. "Hold her down!" Wilhelm shouted above her cries. Lori grabbed her right arm. Daryl reached for her left. Patricia grabbed her legs and held them down, crawling on to the bed and having to sit on them. Alana began to scream. Wilhelm reached forward and tugged her head to the side. _"Only look at him!"_ he shouted at her.

"Hold her shoulder down," Hershel told Daryl, pointing to her left one. Daryl blinked his eyes a few times. With one knee on the bed he intertwined their arms together and with his right hand pushed her shoulder into the mattress.

Alana tried to pick her head up, to see, but Wilhelm scolded her. "_Stop that!_ Don't look up, just look at Daryl. Look at him Alana!"

The room became silent as a sickening sizzling filled the room along with a horrible stench. Hershel had given no warning, but the moment the iron touched her flesh Alana became quiet and all she could do was stare into deep blue eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

**So I finished this chapter early and decided to go ahead and post it now Not too much action in this one, just trying to set up the relationships between Alana and Wilhelm with the other survivors. **

**Also, wanted to let everyone know, can't remember if I already have, but I will be adding some extra days to the time spent on the farm compared to the show. In the comics they actually stay there for a couple of weeks, but to stay along with the show I won't be prolonging it that long. I'll be keeping them on the farm long enough so that I will have some leeway once the season starts back up. **

**I'll go ahead and start work on the next chapter, but don't expect it to be done and up this Friday, won't have it up till next week, curses to you Uni! Plus I need to re-watch the episodes so I can see what's up next for me to include in the chapters. **

**Have fun reading and be sure to leave reviews! Let me know if there's anyone particular you'd like to see Alana and/or Wilhelm interact with. **

Alana passed out soon after the iron touched her flesh. Her grip on Daryl loosened and the muscles in her neck relaxed. Hershel grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and poured it over the scar. He said that it should be left as it was for now and that once the skin was no longer irritated he would bandage it up. He and Wilhelm turned Alana over onto her back so that he could work on her knees. The left one would heal on its own, but the right would need stitches. Wilhelm, Daryl, and Lori watched in silence as Hershel loosely stitched the knee up. He said that Alana would have to stay in bed for a while, to allow the stitches to do their job.

"I'd recommend someone stay in here with her tonight, in case she wakes up. I can't have her trying to get up and standing on this knee. She'll tear the stitches right out," he told them as he finished up. Wilhelm stepped forward to roll Alana back onto her stomach, pulling just the bed's sheet over her. The unkind redness of her new scar screamed out against her pale back.

"We'll take turns," Wilhelm said. "If I nod off that'll be the moment she wakes up."

Lori crossed her arms, looking over at Alana. "What if she…" There was no need to finish the question.

Without a shade of hesitation Wilhelm replied, "I'll take care of it." Turning to Daryl he said, "You can take the last watch. You've been out all day, get some rest first."

Hershel packed his things up and headed out the door. "Just wake me if she needs anything."

"I'll go let everyone know that she's ok," Lori said, standing up from the bed. Daryl stood as well, but winced when he put weight on his right leg.

Suddenly all the attention was on him. Lori was asking if he was all right, Wilhelm was pulling him over to the bed to sit down, and Hershel was walking back into the room.

"I'm fine," he said, "it's just sore from falling off the roof."

Hershel took a look at his leg, which was fine. In truth his whole body hurt from that fall, but he had landed a bit funky on his right leg. Nothing that wouldn't heal up in a day or two. Hershel did scold him though, telling him just that, that he should rest up for a day or two. "All that adrenaline pumping through you, body hasn't had the chance to hurt. You're gonna be your rest."

"Stay in here," Wilhelm said, a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "I doubt that cot of yours is more comfortable than this bed," he joked. How could he joke with his sister lying right there, possibly just hours, even minutes, from turning into one of those monsters?

Daryl wasn't given the chance to argue; Wilhelm led Lori and Hershel out of the room. With the click of the door he was shrouded in silence. He had been pushed back onto the bed, his hands pressed against the mattress to keep him up. He quickly stood up and sat in the armchair when it hit him that she was still only wearing the towel. After a couple of minutes he put his right leg up on the bed; it did relieve the discomfort. He stared at his foot as if it was the only thing in that room. Perhaps if her didn't look at her then it would mean that today had never happened.

But who was he trying to fool? The evidence was right in front of him. The crisp white sheets were splattered with blood and Alana lay in the middle of it.

He could faintly hear Wilhelm outside, talking to the group. It sounded like some of Hershel's family had remained outside as well, Alana's cries likely chasing them out of the house.

"She's just sleeping now," he heard Wilhelm say. Someone asked what was all the screaming about, sounded like Shane. "We had to cauterize a wound. She wasn't too happy about it."

"Is she?" It was Dale. He sounded like it tired him just to ask.

"We don't know. She had some wounds, they were pretty bad. And she has a fever, but Hershel said it could be from being in that house. We'll know in a couple of hours. Gave her a few swigs of whiskey, try to numb her. She'll be out for a while, but we'll keep an eye on her till she wakes up. Daryl's in there right now with her, he's a bit banged up."

"What exactly happened out there?" Shane asked. "He tells us one thing then when we get there it's a whole different story." Daryl could feel the tip of his ears turning red. He wanted nothing more than to go out there and punch Shane in the face. With a chair. A steel chair.

Rick spoke up. Daryl could just picture him sticking his hands on his waist and stepping forward. "They were looking through the house when walkers started coming in. They had no way out, so they headed upstairs into a room. They tried climbing out on the roof, but it collapsed. Daryl fell with it, Alana was able to climb back in the window. He tried driving the truck up to her, but she shot at him. If he had tried going over that mess, he could have gotten stuck. Alana made Daryl leave. She knew he would bring help."

The screen door creaked on its hinges as Hershel's family came back in, heading upstairs to bed. Daryl was unsure what he should do. Lying on the bed wasn't an option. Going outside wasn't one either. If he went outside he'd have to face everyone. Didn't matter how much Rick or Wilhelm defended him, the group would still blame him.

Half an hour later, Daryl was still sitting rigidly in the chair when the door slowly opened. It was Lori. She spoke quietly.

"Carol made you some soup, Wilhelm gave it to her. I have some for Alana too, in case she wakes up. I put it in a pot…in the kitchen. Just gotta heat it up whenever she wakes." She handed Daryl the bowl and he held it close to his chest.

"Thanks," he mumbled. He held onto the spoon, looking over at Alana.

"Have you checked her?" Lori asked. Daryl looked over at her with a confused expression. "Her temperature?" He shook his head, embarrassed. Lori walked over and leaned down towards Alana's head. She brushed the hair out of her face and felt her forehead. She shook her head. "She doesn't feel any hotter." She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at Alana, her face solemn.

Without a word she stood up and left.

As Daryl ate his soup he never took his eyes off of Alana. Once Lori had come in and looked at her, he couldn't ignore that she was in the room. She hadn't moved a single inch. Her breathing had steadied at least. The pinkie on her left hand had twitched two times. He had panicked each time, thinking she was going to wake up. He had been ready to bolt out of the room.

He got up and put his empty bowl on the dresser after finishing it. He treaded lightly over the floorboards. He sat back down in the armchair though his ass was going numb; it wasn't the most comfortable armchair. When he tried hanging his legs over the side of the chair he realized just how stupid he must have looked. He nearly fell out of it when he heard Alana take a deep breath.

Her hands gripped at the sheets, slowly pulling at them. She tried raising her head, tried turning it. She couldn't. Her arms began to tense as she pushed herself up. Not an inch off the bed and she collapsed back down. Her breathing was harsh, dried. Daryl stood from the chair and backed away to the door. His hand reached out to the knob. What should he do? Start yelling? Wake everyone? Run and get Wilhelm? It was his sister, he said he would take care of it. But would there even be a chance to get Wilhelm? It was too much of a risk. He got her in this situation, he'd get her out of it. This was his burden.

He looked at Alana's shoulder. The blood. It was still bright.

Inching along the wall, Daryl moved over to the dresser and grabbed the spoon. It wasn't much of an option, but if he shoved hard enough he could get it through her skull. He scrunched his face up and walked over to the other side of the bed. He leaned to the side, trying to look at Alana's face.

Her eyes. They looked the same as when they found her. Wild. Scared. Taking in his posture, Alana's breathing quickened and she tried to push herself away from him. She looked like some feral child. He hair, even though Lori had run her fingers through it over and over, was a mess, frizzed out. And her movements, it was as if they didn't belong to her anymore. Like she only have half control over them. She began to hold her hands in front of her face, as if they still gripped her gun.

Daryl dropped the spoon and crouched down at the side of the bed. He shakily reached an arm out to her. "Gotta check your head," he told her. She had only managed to push herself a few inches from him. Even if she didn't want him to touch her, she wasn't far enough away from him. He easily laid his hand on her forehead and every muscle in his body melted.

She was lukewarm.

When he left his hand there too long for her comfort Alana pushed herself back, falling onto her shoulder. She gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth and biting her tongue. She could feel the corners of eyes beginning to sting. Daryl leapt forward, trying to pick her up. He did his best to hold onto her while he piled the pillows behind her. He laid her back and stared at the corner of the bed while he pulled up the sheet for her.

He didn't have a damn clue as to what to do next.

She was staring at the bed. At the red splotches.

Daryl stuttered at first, but then said, "Hershel fixed you up." At his words Alana looked up at him, her eyes still wild, but a hint of coherency flooding in.

"I know. I remember. I screamed." She asked where Wilhelm was. Her voice was hoarse but she didn't seem to notice, to care. It must have hurt like hell.

"He's outside, sleeping. We're supposed to take turns, watching over you, in case…"

"I turned." Alana flexed her fingers. Daryl nodded. "Can I have some food?" she asked, looking over at the bowl on the dresser. It was strange, unsettling, how quickly her demeanor changed. The Alana in front of him was so different from the Alana he brought back from the house, from the Alana back on the highway.

"Yeah, uh yeah. Lori, she left you some soup. I'll go get Wilhelm." Daryl hurried over to the door.

"No. Let him sleep. I'd just like the food. Please."

Daryl looked back at her. He didn't want to spend another second in the room.

"Alright."

He stared at the pot as the soup heated up. He'd give her the bowl then leave. Go wake Wilhelm, let him know she was awake, then he'd get some sleep. He could deal with her and the group tomorrow. He swirled a spoon in the pot; when steam rose around the edges Daryl turned the burner off and poured the soup in a bowl. He had to go through all the cupboards, but he eventually found the bowls and a spoon.

Alana hadn't moved from the spot that Daryl had put her in. She had tucked the towel back around her, though it settled low on her chest, away from the wound on her shoulder. She raised her hands up to take the bowl from him. He had to lean over the bed; she couldn't lean forward, it pulled too much on the wound. She switched the bowl to the other hand when she was unable to hold it up, but she found she couldn't bring the spoon up to her mouth.

"I need help." Her tone was void of emotion. In that little time alone her eyes had calmed. Aside from her appearance, nothing could have hinted at what she had gone through that day. Daryl didn't understand what she meant. He stood, his knees knocking against the edge of the bed. He really wanted to leave. "I can't hold it up."

But then he remembered. She was there, in that bed, for a reason and that reason was him. He owed her.

Wiping the sweat from his hands on his pants Daryl walked over to the armchair. He picked it up and placed it as close to the bed as he could. Then he realized that Alana was sitting in the middle of the bed. She held the bowl out to him and he stood awkwardly while she slowly dragged herself over to the chair. When she had settled herself Daryl sat down in the chair. He held the bowl while Alana took the spoon in her right hand.

"How long was I there?" she asked between spoonfuls.

Daryl flinched. "I don't know. About two hours?"

She smiled. "You must have been driving fast." Daryl nodded. "Must have been a sight, seeing you come down the road…like a…bat out of hell? Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it."

Alana dipped her head as much as she could without pulling on the wound. "Hey," she whispered. Daryl was hanging his head, shoulders hunched; his elbow was resting on the bed while he held the bowl up as high as he could for her. He looked up through his brows to her. "Thank you."

"For what? Leaving ya behind?"

"Didn't give you much a of choice, did I?"

"You're fucking crazy, you have a deathwish or somethin'?"

"It would have been better for the group to lose one person instead of two," she said, as if she had said it a million times. That's what worried Daryl. She could see it. "You're actually shocked by that? That I would so easily toss myself off the ledge. It's what I was trained to do."

"What exactly was your job? In the army? What were you, some suicidal sniper?"

"Yes." Daryl's head perked up and he leaned back in the chair after Alana put the spoon down. "Wilhelm and I were snipers. It was our job to go into situations that were death missions. Our only options were to kill our target or die."

"You traded being a doctor for that?"

Alana smiled. "Pretty silly, I know. But it prepared me for this at least. Is everyone asleep?"

"Yeah."

"And they stuck you with watching me," Alana mused. She tried scratching her head, pulling her hand away when it started getting caught in the tangles.

Daryl became slightly defensive. "Didn't have much of a choice. Leg's a bit sore from falling off that roof. Your brother told me to stay in here with you."

"Well, thank you for staying with me. Making sure I didn't crawl out and start chewing on someone."

Daryl still didn't smile. "You done eating?" Alana nodded. He walked over to the dresser and set the bowl next to his.

"The others, did they find Sophia?"

Daryl's face dropped. He shook his head.

"I think I'm ready to lay back down," Alana told him. "You can lay down too, if you want. I don't think I'll be doing much moving around."

"I should let Wilhelm know you're awake and that you ain't… dead." Daryl stood up, knocking his legs against the chair. He wasn't exactly quiet as he left the room. Alana sat there and listened as he went out the house and walked over towards the tents.

He stood in front of Wilhelm's tent, unsure of how to wake him up. He flicked his finger against the tent a couple of times, calling out to him. Slowly there was a rustle from within and then Wilhelm poked his head out. He rubbed at his eyes.

"She's awake."

Wilhelm looked down at his watch and furrowed his brow. "You still have…two hours. Go back and rest."

Daryl just stood there. Was he really sending him back in there?

"Don't ya want to see her?"

Wilhelm yawned. "Didn't hear any shots, so I'm guessing her fever is going down?" Daryl nodded. "Then I'm sure she won't want me in there fussing over her like a woman. I'll wait till she's asleep to go in. Get back in there, get some rest."

Wilhelm zipped the tent back up and plopped back down in his sleeping bag. Daryl stood there for a moment, more than beyond confused and frustrated. All he wanted was to get some sleep. The man could have lost his sister today and he wasn't acting one bit different.

Alana was still in the same spot when Daryl dragged himself back into the room.

"Thought you were going to get Wilhelm," she said as he pulled the armchair back and sat down. He mumbled something about having two hours left. He crossed his arms and slinked down in the chair. As he tried to get comfortable Alana tried to lay on her right side, but being so close to the edge she didn't have any room to move. Daryl did his best to not watch her. If he did he'd feel guilty for just sitting there. But he didn't want to be there in the first place, babysitting her. Didn't want to babysit anyone.

He had had enough when he began to hear her breathing hard; she was trying to drag herself across the bed with just her right shoulder. With a huff he shot out of the chair, walked over to the other side of the bed and pulled her completely over. He helped her turn onto her right side. It was only after sitting back in the chair that he noticed she was now facing him.

Alana eyed the ceiling. "Can you do something about the lights?"

Daryl stood up and flipped the light switch. Didn't help much, he could still see her staring over at him. "Ya gonna keep doing that?"

"You haven't said 'you're welcome.'"

"For what?"

"Coming back for me."

"Don't gotta thank me. Just did what I had to."

"I'll get it out of you eventually," she said, slapping the bed. "You going to sleep in that chair?" When Daryl didn't respond she continued. "Until you lay down, I'm not going to shut up. And might I add, I'm slightly affected by that whiskey. Who knows how long I'm going to keep talking. Might talk all night."

Daryl stiffly moved onto the bed. He rolled over onto his side, away from her.

A few minutes passed, wherein Daryl kept shouting inside his head that he was lying in bed with Alana. And that she only had a towel on. And Wilhelm would be walking in at some point to see his sister in bed with a redneck.

"Hey."

"What?" he snapped.

"You said you'd let me drive the truck tomorrow."

"Don't think you'll be doing much tomorrow. Doc says you have to stay in bed till that wound heals up."

"It isn't that hard to turn a wheel and push the pedals."

"Sure as hell isn't as hard as shutting ya up." She didn't say anything back. Daryl became uneasy feeling. He sighed. "I'm sorry."

Minutes passed and before he knew it he was talking to her. "I didn't mean those things I said earlier, bout you and your brother. Just got angry is all. Sorry bout today, all of it."

"Never said I blamed you."

"Still my fault. Shouldn't have left you back there."

Daryl almost jumped out of the bed when he felt her hand on his arm, but made himself stay still. It couldn't have been comfortable for her, using her left arm. Besides, he owed her.

"Goodnight Daryl."

Wilhelm woke up at the sound of his alarm going off on his watch. Taking a moment to fully wake up he put his shoes on. He took his time heading to the house. He stopped by Rick and Lori's tent to wake them up and let them know that Alana's fever was down. T-Dog was on watch; he told him as well.

He walked quietly into the house, practically sliding his feet over the floor. Neither of them stirred a bit when he opened the door. Daryl had rolled over onto his back, his left arm resting on the top of Alana's pillow, the other resting on his stomach. Alana was still curled up on her right side, her face buried in the sheet. She had bunched it up around her like a nest.

Wilhelm sat there for half an hour, staring off into the corner of the room. Thinking. Planning. He walked over to Alana and felt her forehead. Completely cool to the touch. Wilhelm smiled. He could move on with his planning.

He set two bottles of water on the dresser that he had brought with him before leaving the room. He went back to tell Lori to not worry about going in and sitting with Alana. Daryl was there. They were resting. Lori watched as Wilhelm headed back to his tent. She looked over at Rick. She was hoping she wouldn't have to actually say what she was wondering.

Her hope worked. Carl woke up. "Alana's gonna be ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, she's gonna be fine," Rick told him, "now go back to bed." He said it not just to Carl, but to Lori as well.

A few hours later, when she heard T-Dog climbing down the RV to wake Andrea, Lori got up and left the tent.

"How she doing?" T-Dog asked as Andrea walked up to them.

Lori nodded her head. "She's fine. Fever's gone. Just sleeping is all. Gonna go check on her." Andrea was looking around at the tents.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked. His tent was open. Lori looked down at the ground, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"He's resting in the house." Andrea asked if Wilhelm knew. "Yeah, he's the one that told him to. He checked on them a while ago, said they were sleeping. Then he went back to his tent. I'm gonna go check on them now." With that Lori walked off.

T-Dog and Andrea were still whispering when Lori came back out. A blank look on her face. They both stood in her way to her tent. "What?" she asked, pushing her way past them and into the tent.

"And I thought the world couldn't get any weirder than the dead walking around," Andrea said before heading off to climb atop the RV.

Daryl woke up first in the morning and smoothly slid off the bed. Rubbing the back of his head he looked around. He could hear the others moving through the house and outside. Steps echoing through the hall had him spinning round as the door opened. It was Wilhelm.

"Good morning," he said to Daryl, stepping into the room and walking over to Alana. He checked her forehead again. Still cool.

"Morning," Daryl said, trying to brush his hair down with his hand.

"I figured since she wasn't going to trying to eat anyone that it wouldn't hurt to let you sleep. You two had a tiring day. Come on, let's get you some breakfast." He led Daryl out of the room. As they walked over to the camp Wilhelm said, "Thank you, for going back for her."

Daryl didn't say anything, only nodded his head.

Wilhelm had already told everyone that Alana was going to be ok, that her fever was gone. Carl was anxious to go see her, but Lori kept him reeled in. "She needs to rest honey, just like you had to. You can go see her later."

Carol was fixing plates for everyone and Wilhelm walked over to pick two up. He handed Daryl one as he sat down. Slowly everyone started talking about what they would be doing for the day. Glenn said he was going to go into town, just a few miles away, with Maggie, see what supplies he could find. He said to Wilhelm that he was going to try and find some sodas for Alana. Wilhelm smiled and said she would appreciate that.

"I think we should all just take it easy today. After the shock yesterday, we could all do with a day of rest," Rick said. Everyone turned to Carol, to see her reaction. She was slowly eating her eggs.

"Rick's right," she said after a beat. "We can't have people going out and getting hurt. We can't do any good if we're tired. You've fixed a lot of those houses up for her," she said to Rick, Shane, and Daryl. "She'll be safe in them till we can go get her."

"That's right," Lori told her. "Tomorrow we can head out and go get her."

Daryl finished his plate and was just sitting there, staring off into the dirt. Carol's shadow covered him as she walked up to him and Wilhelm.

"Saved a plate for Alana." She held it out to Wilhelm. He finished chewing a bite in his mouth. He pointed his fork at Daryl.

"You mind taking it to her? Need to finish up here. I'll bring in her pack so she can pick out some clothes."

Daryl was uncomfortable. Everyone was either staring at him or listening in. Without saying a word he took the plate from Carol and headed back into the house. So much for him needing rest like Hershel said, what with him being sent back and forth to the house.

Hershel was awake, sitting in the dinning room. "She awake?" he asked, sipping on his coffee.

"Don't know. Just bringing her some food."

Hershel nodded. "Well when she's ready let me know. I want to check those wounds of hers."

Daryl knocked on the door before entering. She was just covering her face with the sheet, mumbling something. He stood at the door, waiting. He knocked on the doorframe. She poked her head out and looked over at him, a bush of hair that bounced slightly as she spoke.

"What?"

He held the plate out. "Brought you some food. Carol made breakfast."

"What is it?"

"Eggs."

"Shhh. Don't blink so loud." She pulled the sheet back over her head. Confused, Daryl looked around the room. And noticed that the bottle of whiskey had been left on a small nightstand. It was just beyond reach for her, but guessing at how low the contents of the bottle were, it looked like Alana had been able to reach it at some point. Explained why he woke up a few times during the night, thinking that Alana was wiggling around in the bed.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk. "You hungover?"

"Shhh!" As he went to set the plate on the dresser she shot at him, "Bring me the eggs! Shhhhhhh."

He set the plate on the bed and helped her sit up. He stood at her side while holding the plate so she could eat.

"Thought you Germans were supposed to be able to hold your alcohol."

Alana glared up at him. "I think, under the circumstances, that I'm excused."

She finished the eggs and tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed. Daryl quickly set the plate aside and pushed her back. "Hey! Doc said you can't get out of bed. Ya gonna bust your stitches." She looked at him strangely. "On your knee. The right one." She held the sheet up and looked under. Her brow scrunched up.

"Forgot about that."

There was a knock at the door and Wilhelm walked in. He smiled at them. "Brought you some clothes." Daryl quickly excused himself. He headed back outside and went straight for his tent where he promptly zipped up the flap.

Wilhelm helped Alana dress. He had brought her a pair of loose shorts. They were his actually. Had to tie them up with a bit of rope so they wouldn't just fall right off her. She normally wore spaghetti string tops under her shirts, but today she'd have to do with just the former. He slipped just her right arm under the strap.

"How do you feel?"

Alana only stared at him.

"Hershel will come in soon, going to dress your wound. Group's decided that no one's going to go out today. Well, just Glenn and Maggie, Hershel's daughter. Heading over to a small town not far from here, to get supplies. Glenn said he's going to look for some sodas for you."

Alana smiled at that.

After getting her back into a sitting position on the bed, propped up with the pillows, Wilhelm pulled out a brush and did his best to tame her hair. He was putting it in a braid when Hershel came in. He checked over his handiwork, telling her that things were healing up, telling her what she could and couldn't do. There were more couldn't do's. He dressed her shoulder then left.

"_Want me to stay in here with you?"_

Alana did her best one shouldered shrug. Wilhelm laughed.

"_Well rest up then. Sleep all day if you have to. Enjoy it."_

"_What are you going to do?"_

"_Don't know. If I get really bored I'll come back in here and poke your shoulder."_

Wilhelm headed back out to the tent to lay down.

Half the day had gone by when there was a knock at the door. Alana had dozed off. She opened her eyes just in time to see Carol standing in the doorway.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi."

"Just wanted to check in on you. Doing ok? Do you want something to eat?"

Alana shook her head. "No thank you, I'm fine. Belly full of whiskey," she told her, patting her belly.

"Alright then. Just wanted to make sure you were ok in here by yourself."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just weird, being in a bed. Forgot what one of these things felt like."

"I'll bring you something to drink," Carol said, seeing that the bottles of water were empty. Before Alana could protest Carol was gone. She came back after a while. A pitcher of tea in hand, along with a glass. "Here you go, I'm sure you're tired of water. Are you sure there isn't anything you need?"

Alana looked over at the window. "Actually, could you open that window for me?"

"Of course." Carol opened the window and pulled the curtains aside so she could look outside. Carl was instantly standing outside it on the porch, sticking his head inside.

"You're awake!"

Carol took the moment to leave the room.

"Yeah, kiddo. I'm awake."

Carl looked over the sheets. "Whoa." Alana looked as well.

"Yeah, I really dirtied them, huh?"

"Mine were way more dirtier," Carl gleamed. Alana laughed. "It hurt, didn't it? We could hear you."

"Yeah, hurt a lot. But your mom was there. My brother. And Daryl. They made sure I was ok."

Carl made a face at Daryl's name.

"Sorry, mom says I'm not supposed to say anything that isn't nice. But he don't really talk to anyone. When he does, he never really says nice things."

Lori called out to Carl, shouting at him to leave Alana alone. He couldn't get a word in before Lori came marching up the steps and pulled him away, pushing him down the steps.

"I'm sorry, he's just been real anxious," she said to Alana.

"It's fine, really."

"How you feeling?"

"Good. Sore. Really sore."

Lori laughed. "Well, I'll leave you to yourself then."

As Lori headed back over to the picnic table to rejoin Andrea she caught a glance of Daryl leaving his tent. He was heading over to the truck to look through the clothes. Wilhelm had finished sorting through them. Dale was already there, going through the shirts. He nodded his head when Daryl stepped forward.

He took a look around before speaking just loud enough for Daryl to hear.

"I don't know if anyone, other than Wilhelm, has said this, but it needs to be said. Thank you, for bringing Alana back. You may have lied to us, about what happened, but, you did what you had to, to make sure we went back for her. And I'm sure, that if none of us had, that you would have gone back on your own. So thank you." When Daryl didn't say anything Dale added, "I bet she wouldn't mind having some company in there." With that he walked away, a new shirt in hand.

A couple minutes later Daryl started walking off towards the house, a new shirt of his own in hand. "Gonna try it on," he said as he passed by Rick, who was just coming out of the house from using the restroom.

Alana looked shocked when the door opened. Well more frustrated than angry; she truly wanted to rest and frankly was already tired of being asked how she felt. How did they think she felt? Peachy?

After closing the door Daryl just stared at her. "Hey." Alana waited a moment, to see if he would utter those four words she loathed.

"Want some tea?" She asked, pointing at the pitcher that Carol had left on the dresser. Poor thing left without realizing that Alana couldn't very well stand up and walk over to it. Daryl declined. "Well I would, so bring it over here." He tossed the shirt in the armchair and brought Alana the pitcher and glass. He was regretting coming in to see her already. She filled the glass and handed it Daryl. He leaned against the wall and took a sip. Alana gingerly held up the pitcher and drank straight from it. Daryl raised a brow. She paid him no attention.

"So did you get volunteered again to come in here and babysit me?" she asked.

"Sorta," he answered, taking another drink.

"Wanna play cards? Carl left his pack in here," she said, pointing to the dresser. Next to the lamp the stack sat.

Daryl walked over and grabbed it. A bit unsure, he sat down on the left side of the bed.

"What ya wanna play?" he asked.

"Well certainly not strip poker." At his mortified expression she added, "Well it wouldn't be very exciting would it, watching me squirm around trying to get my shirt off with just one arm?" As he shuffled the deck she suggested rummy. He'd never played it before, but he agreed.

After three games, Alana was thrilled. Daryl was irritated. While Alana shuffled the cards they heard someone walking along the porch. It was Dale. He leaned down on the windowsill and peered in.

"What you two playing?"

"Rummy."

"Rummy? Who's winning?"

"Me," Alana beamed. Dale laughed.

"Try getting three of kind," Dale suggested to Daryl. "It'll ruin everything for her."

"Stop helping the enemy," Alana muttered as she dealt the cards out. After a few minutes Daryl laid down three of a pair. Alana glared up at Dale. He held his hands up.

"Keep it up Daryl," he chimed in before leaving. "Oh!" he called out, walking back over to the window. "Rick and Shane went out, gonna try to get us something for dinner tonight."

Alana noticed that Daryl had become flustered after Dale left. When he felt her staring at him he asked her what her problem was.

"Seems more like that you have a problem."

Daryl looked out the window. "Those two aren't going to catch anything. Gonna be firing off shots, walkers gonna hear."

Alana grinned. "You're jealous! You want to go hunting, don't you?"

"I'm the breadwinner of the group." It should have been an admirable proclamation, but coming from Daryl, it sounded like an annoyance. A burden. Alana sided with him.

"And they don't have crossbows like you." Daryl set down three 2's. Alana shook her head, rearranging her cards in her hand. She muttered something in German and it didn't sound like a compliment; all Daryl could make out was that she had mentioned Dale. She eyed Daryl. "That wasn't very nice. You've ruined my entire hand. Thanks a lot."

Alana was sitting with her left leg bent, right laid out ahead of her. The pitcher of tea was resting in the crook of her left leg. She would put her cards down and picked it up with both hands, taking a while to actually get it up to her mouth. Anytime she did this Daryl would tense, his eyes avoiding her. It was like a constant reminder, screaming at him, of what had happened to her because of him. It made it beyond difficult for him to stay in that room.

Seeing his reactions to her Alana wiped at her mouth and sighed. She scratched her head. "I'm tired. Think I'll take a nap." She gathered up the cards and handed the pitcher to Daryl without a second glance. He remained sitting on the bed as she gingerly laid down, stretching her legs out. She turned her head away from him.

She heard the _thunk_ of the pitcher as he set it on the dresser before grabbing his new shirt and going to the bathroom to change. As he walked out and passed the bedroom she could hear his footsteps slow, as if he was thinking of coming back in.

A moment later the screen door creaked. She could see the top of his head through the window as he walked by. Closing her eyes, Alana slept past lunch.


	15. Chapter 15

**NOTE: This chapter has been edited, along with Chapters 16 & 17.**

**Ok so I'm trying to give myself plenty of time for the season to start back up by stretching these chapters out, that way I won't have to be waiting on every Sunday to come round before I can start writing a new chapter. **

**This chapter takes place during the same day as the last one, the day after Alana gets stuck at the walker-infested house. **

**Enjoy!**

Alana awoke to the creaking of the bedroom door opening. She turned her head to see Glenn sheepishly stick his head in. He had a silly smile on his mouth. As he came into the room he kept readjusting the bottom of his shirt.

"Hey, got you some stuff," he told her, sitting on the bed and opening a black plastic bag. He offered to help her sit up as he saw her struggle, but she waved him off. He caught a glimpse of her shoulder.

"Well, let's see then," she said, peering down into the bag when his words caught in his mouth at the sight of her scar.

The silly smile returned to his mouth. "Right, well, uh, they didn't have any sodas but," he said, pulling a red box out of the bag, "they did have this!" It was a leg brace and he beamed proudly holding it up. "Wilhelm said you had to get stitches in your one knee and you can't bend it for a while. This should help, right? Just put it on real tight."

Alana took the box from him, opening and taking the brace out of it. Thankfully it had a hole where the kneecap would be. She'd have to widen the hole, but, as Glenn said, if tightened enough she wouldn't be able to bend that knee and she'd be able to walk about.

"It's genius," she told him. "I'll have Wilhelm cut a bigger hole. Maybe I can get out of here today."

"What!" Glenn exclaimed. "You get to-to sleep in a real bed. A _bed!_ How can you want to get out?" He absently started rubbing the bed sheets.

"Try sitting in bed all day. In a room with no television. And people walking up constantly to the window to ask the same thing. Now, what's still in the bag?"

Glenn grinned. He held a hand up. "Now, I know it isn't exactly ready to go, but Maggie said they could fix it." Slowly and with much drama, Glenn pulled a deflated soccer ball from the plastic bag. "Just needs some air. And once your knee is better you can play!" There was a quiet pause. "You…you play soccer right? Sorry, I just thought since you know, you're from over there that you'd like soccer."

Alana laughed. "Wilhelm's always been the soccer fanatic. I just went along to the matches to not be left out. I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to break us into groups and put on a tournament." Glenn looked a bit queasy at that thought.

"I was never good at sports," he mumbled.

"Neither is Wilhelm, doesn't stop him from thinking he's a god."

They both laughed. Steps coming along the porch grabbed their attention and they both stared at the window, waiting for the person to poke their head in. It was Wilhelm. His eyes instantly enlarged at the sight of the soccer ball. He had his banged up baseball cap on, hiding his bedhead. Glenn told him that there was an air pump they could use. Without any words he shook his hand at Alana, wanting the ball. She tossed the lumpy thing at him. His mouth was hanging open.

"Where's the pump? Take me to the pump."

Glenn jumped from the bed and rushed out of the room to meet Wilhelm outside. Wilhelm looked over to Alana and nodded his head. She nodded back.

_"Send someone with a big knife," _she told him before he left window. He peeked back in, a questioning look on his face. He didn't bother asking.

As he joined Glenn outside in the field—Maggie had brought out the pump and left it on the porch—Wilhelm ran into Shane.

"Do you have a big knife?" Shane just stared at him, running his hand over his head. He still wasn't use to not having the hair to run his fingers through. "Alana said she needs one."

"You ask why?" Wilhelm shook his head.

"I don't bother with asking 'why' much when it comes to her," he laughed.

Shane spit at the ground. "Yeah I got a knife, guess I'll go deliver it to her, find out what she plans tearing up with it."

"Thanks," Wilhelm told him, slapping him on the back before running off to join Glenn out in the field where he began to eagerly pump the ball up. As Shane headed over to his tent to grab his knife he could hear Wilhelm giving Glenn precise directions. He passed Carl as the young boy made his way over to join them, Lori calling out to him to be careful.

Shane wiped at his mouth before knocking on the door and entering. Alana sat in the middle of the bed. Poking at the stitches on her knee. She vaguely looked up at Shane as he came in, twirling the knife in hand.

"Your brother said you needed a knife."

Alana held her hand out. "Yeah, need to make this hole bigger." Shane's eyes widened. When she looked up she realized he thought she meant her knee. "In the brace. Glenn brought me a brace. If I can make the hole bigger then I can get out of this room." Shane raised his brows in understanding. He stepped forward and handed the knife over.

Alana grabbed the brace and laid it flat. She made hesitant moves; wasn't going to exactly be easy to cut the thing on the bed. Didn't want to cut it on the floor either, scratch up the boards. She put the knife down and secured the brace on her knee. She then grabbed the edges of the hole and began sawing away at it with the knife. The knife kept slipping.

"Here," Shane said moving to the other side of the bed and grabbing the knife. "Gonna cut your damn hand off like that. Now hold that bit there. Pull it up." While Alana did as he said Shane slowly began slicing through the thick material. He made small slices on the sides, not even an inch in total; just enough to expose the ends of the stitches. He leaned back, observing his work.

"How's that?"

Alana slowly bent her knee; there was plenty of resistance. "Perfect. Thank you. Can you help me up?" She reached one arm out while the other was used for balance. Shane gingerly pulled her up and then placed his hand right on her shoulder. She hissed and went rigid for a second.

"Sorry," he muttered, pulling his hand back.

"It's all right," she gritted as she took a couple steps forward. Being off her legs for just a day had her feeling like a newborn baby. "I think I can handle it from here. Not too sure you'd like to accompany me to the restroom." She laughed at his scrunched nose. "Didn't think so."

Shane moved ahead and held the door open for her. Once she was in the bathroom and had closed the door he headed back outside, taking a seat on the porch with Rick.

He was watching as Wilhelm ran around Glenn and Carl, who were trying to get the soccer ball away from him. He smiled at the silly faces Wilhelm was making each time he evaded them. Then his face fell when he thought of Sophia and how she was missing all this.

"What did Alana want?" Rick asked.

Shane lounged back in the rocking chair. "Wanted to cut up a leg brace."

"She's up? On her own?" There was a tone of concern from Rick.

Shane nodded. "Girl wanted up, so she got up. Brace ain't giving her much movement in that leg though." Rick nodded thoughtfully.

Both men turned as the screen door creaked; Alana came slowly out onto the porch. She squinted a bit at the sunlight.

"Welcome back," Rick said to her as she hobbled her way over to them. She shook a hand when he made to stand up and offer his chair to her. She looked over to the field to Wilhelm and laughed.

"You do know it will be hell getting him to put that ball down, don't you?" she said with a smile, a strained smile. Standing wasn't her best friend at the moment, but the last thing she wanted to do was sit down or lay down.

"You know how to play?" Rick asked her.

"Not really, I know how to kick, that's all it is really. Wilhelm, he thinks he knows how to play. He used to yell at the television, during the games, as if he knew better than the coaches and players."

"Hell, we all knew better than those coaches," Shane said, thinking back the last year's Super Bowl.

"You doing all right?" Rick asked when he saw that Alana looked a bit uncomfortable.

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine. Just a bit of a fish on my legs right now. Have to keep moving." She nodded and headed to the steps. She grabbed onto the post to steady herself as she tried to figure out which leg she should step down on first. She was grateful when someone picked her up and placed her down on the ground.

Daryl came out from his tent for the first time since going in earlier during the day. He was thirsty and a bit hungry. He looked up to see Shane carrying Alana down the porch steps and setting her down. Shane kept a hand on her to make sure she was steadied before heading back up on to the porch. She waved a hand back over her head at him and began, what seemed like a trek longer than the one from the Shire to Mordor, over to the circle of chairs at the fire pit.

The muscles of his arms involuntarily flexed as he walked over to the campfire to grab a bottle of water. Carol had filled up all the bottles with water from the well and just left them out there for everyone. He was straightening back up from getting the bottle when he just had to look over at Alana.

She caught his eye and waved at him, at first in just a manner to say hello, but then to beckon him over to her. And he walked over to her. She was halfway to the closest chair. When Daryl stopped in front of her she reached out and steadied herself against him.

"Walking is very overrated," she muttered.

Without thinking Daryl quipped back, "Tell that to the poor bastards stuck in wheelchairs when the dead started walking."

Alana slowly looked up at him before cracking into a huge smile and laughing. "They're probably dragging their asses around right now," she snickered. Daryl smiled feebly at her. He hadn't exactly meant to make a joke, but _not _showing any emotion at that point was out of the question. He had painted himself into a corner with that one.

She pointed over to the chairs and started walking again. Daryl held a hand out, hovering inches from her back, ready in case she lost her balance. "Shoulda had someone help you out here," he said lowly. Alana wobbled for a moment before regaining her balance, steadying herself by bracing a hand on Daryl's arm. She smirked.

"I did, Shane helped me down the stairs," she said lightly, waving a hand behind her. Daryl turned around for a glance over to Shane on the porch.

"Yeah, well, next time ya need help get your brother. Or me." The last bit was added after a pause. Alana laughed. Daryl didn't take to that very well.

"Not too fond of someone?" Alana asked as they got closer to the chairs.

Her laughter must have stirred Carol and Andrea from the RV. They were soon out and walking towards her and Daryl. Alana's eyes lit up when she saw them. Not so much that she was happy to see them, but that there were more people to carry her if she did an impromptu fainting. She kept her hand on Daryl and continued her trek over to the chair. She still had no plan to sit in it, just to use it as support.

"You shouldn't be up," Carol said in a worried tone, looking down at her knee.

"I'm fine. Long as I can't bend it too much I'll be fine."

"Well," Carol said, her face scrunched up in worry, "let me at least make you a sandwich or something. I'll go see what Hershel has." She was off once again before Alana could protest.

Andrea eyed Daryl as he followed closely alongside Alana. He had intended to head back to his tent. But with Andrea the closest person to Alana, it would be better if he stayed he thought. There was no way Andrea would be able to catch and keep Alana upright if she fell. Woman may have been physically fit, but she was too damn dramatic; would be too busy squealing instead of helping Alana up.

"Take it you're feeling better," Andrea said to Alana, shaking her head with a smile as she shakily made her way over to the chair.

Alana scoffed. "I feel like shit! But I'm German, that makes me stubborn." She let out satisfied air once she reached the chair and was able to lean on it. Andrea bent down and picked up a water for her. "Thanks." She took the water and tossed it in the chair. When she saw Andrea staring at her shoulder she asked if she wanted to see the scar with a wick smile. She turned around and Andrea hissed at the sight of it. "Does it look awesome?" Alana asked in a silly American accent.

"It looks disgusting," Andrea told her, a quick glance to Daryl.

"Ha. All cool people have awesome scars, right?" she said looking over at Daryl. He didn't respond in any way.

"Made you a sandwich," Carol said as she walked up. She held the wrapped up sandwich out to Alana who eagerly accepted it. Andrea stepped forward, but Alana had reached back for Daryl to help her as she moved around to sit down in the chair. Andrea and Carol watched as he helped lower her slowly into the chair, both with differing looks on their faces. All three stood back as she took a bite of the sandwich. Daryl looked down at his feet, rubbing at his face, trying to hide a cruel smile.

The sandwich was peanut butter and jelly.

Alana continuously picked up the water bottle, taking a swig after every bite. Carol beamed at her completely oblivious. She pulled a chair over towards her and sat down. Andrea sat down as well. Daryl remained standing behind Alana's chair, his body half turned away from them to hide his smirk each time Alana took a bite.

"Hershel's family is making dinner tonight, we're all going to eat inside," Andrea told Alana. "Heard that kid, Tommy, saying there was a pond nearby, caught a bunch of fish for dinner." Alana snickered.

"I'm sorry. Wilhelm hates fish." Carol tried saying that she could find something else to make for him, but Alana said no. "I want to see him squirm when you put that plate of fish in front of him."

Andrea smiled. "Well I'm sure he'll eat it if he's hungry enough. I can't remember the last time I went to bed with a full stomach. Went in the house earlier, Patricia was already preparing the sides. That table is going to be filled with food."

"I take it then that Rick and Shane didn't have any luck on their little hunting trip?" Alana asked as she was finishing her sandwich. Daryl snorted and Andrea eyed him.

"No, they didn't catch anything."

"Guess that means you'll be heading out tomorrow," Alana said to Daryl, turning her head around to look at him. "Can I go with you?"

Daryl shook his head. "You'll just slow me down." There was an awkward silence during which Daryl felt like an ass. "Once your leg heals up, maybe you can go out with me. Long as you can keep quiet." He mumbled it all from behind his hand as he chewed on his thumbnail.

"You'll take someone with you tomorrow though, right?" Carol asked, rubbing her hands on her legs. "We can't have anyone going off on their own."

"I'll go," Andrea offered.

Daryl shook his head. "You even know how to shoot that gun of yours? You'd probably shoot my head off. Nah, I'll take someone else with me."

Shouts of Alana's name came from the field. Everyone turned to see Carl running at full speed towards her. She gulped down the last bite of her sandwich before he came to a halt in front of her. Wilhelm and Glenn were slowly dragging themselves from the field.

"What are you doing running around like that?" she asked, tsking at him.

"Wilhelm was teaching me how to play soccer. Do you play too?" he asked eagerly, bouncing on the spot.

Alana shook her head. "I always preferred rugby."

"What's rugby?"

"Something similar to soccer I suppose."

As if on cue, Lori came walking up. "Carl, Alana's trying to rest, just because she's out here doesn't mean she wants us all crowding her. And I told you to take it easy out there, come here," she said to him, lifting up his shirt to look at his stitches. They looked fine, the area around them was a bit red. She looked over towards Wilhelm with a small scowl. Carl huffed at his mother as she sent him off to sit with his father and Shane. "And go wash up, we'll be having dinner with Hershel's family."

Everyone must have taken to Lori's words; Andrea and Carol headed back to the RV. Glenn and Wilhelm were walking up to her, but Glenn headed straight to his tent to collapse from exhaustion. Wilhelm plopped himself down in a chair next to Alana. Rolling the ball over his leg he looked up at the RV to wave at T-Dog and Dale. Alana noticed them for the first time and waved as well. Wilhelm looked around to see where everyone else had gone to. Daryl had slipped away unnoticed, going back to his tent.

_"Shane help you with the brace?"_ Wilhelm asked, leaning down to get a better look at the brace. Alana nodded. _"Not too much movement?"_ Alana shook her head. _"That's good. Just keep it on for a few days. Least until Hershel takes the stitches out." _Alana nodded again.

_"We should give Hershel a set bed linens from what I found, replace the ones of his that I ruined," _Alana suggested.

_"Of course. I'll grab some that match and take them to him."_ Wilhelm looked dropped the ball to the ground and rested his feet on it. _"No one's gone to the highway to check if that girl is there today, suppose I'll head out there. See if Daryl wants to come." _He looked over at Alana then to Daryl's tent. _"He's been keeping an eye on you."_

_"Makes sense,"_ Alana said quietly. She looked over to see Daryl sitting halfway out of his tent, flipping through a book. Alana doubted he was actually reading it. _"Think you could have picked a crazier group to join? I don't even have to crack a brain cell to read these people. This group is crumbling from the corners. I don't want to think what will happen if they find that girl and she's dead."_

Wilhelm nodded his head in contemplation. _"We'll just have to work on them some more then. Go spend some time with Dale while I'm gone. Do not get too close to these people. If something happens, we need to have options. Tonight I'll have a talk with Hershel."_

_"You'll talk to Daryl too, right?" _Wilhelm looked at her, unsure why she was asking this. She sighed. _"You know why he's helping me, keeping an eye on me. It isn't because you've been asking him to, he would have done the same things anyway. He feels like shit about yesterday. He needs to know he has nothing to apologize for." _

_"Why would I do that?"_ Wilhelm asked as he stood up. _"I enjoy having a break from babysitting you,"_ he told her as he grabbed her braid and wiggled it round. She slapped his hand away. "Alright. _I'll talk to him, won't matter much though. He'll get off his own back when he feels like it. That boy is stubborn."_

He could hear the crunch of the dirt as Wilhelm came up to his tent. He put the book down and looked up at him.

"Thought I'd head out to the highway, check for Sophia. Want to come along?" Daryl nodded, reaching into his tent to grab his crossbow. "Great, let's go then." Wilhelm walked over to his tent and grabbed his rifle. The keys were laying on the seat of the truck; Wilhelm told Daryl to go ahead get it started. While he did so Wilhelm walked over to the house to talk with Rick and Shane.

"Heading out?" Rick asked, looking over at Daryl as he got into the truck.

"Check the highway, see if Sophia stopped by there. We'll be right back." Rick nodded. "Keep an eye on Alana?"

"Of course, yeah."

"See you in a few then." Wilhelm walked over to the truck and hopped in on the passenger's side. Carol came out from the RV as the truck was turning down the dirt road, out of sight. She came and sat with Alana.

"They're going to the highway, see if Sophia came back by," Alana told her. Carol smiled. It wasn't a full smile, but it was the most anyone could get out of her.

Alana didn't bother telling Carol how everything would be alright, how they would find Sophia and she'd be just fine. What was the point? No amount of reassurance would make Carol feel any better. It wouldn't make Sophia miraculously appear.

Dale came walking towards them. He had come down from the RV, leaving T-Dog up there on his own. Dale took a sit with Alana and Carol.

"Looks like someone is feeling better," he said, slinking down in his chair. He pointed to the road. "Where'd your brother and Daryl go?"

"To look for Sophia on the highway, in case she went back there," Carol told him, her head down. "I'm going to go inside, see if Hershel's family needs any help with dinner." She stood up and walked quietly away. It seemed like with each passing moment it became harder for her to talk or listen about Sophia and to know that she was somewhere out there on her own.

Dale sighed, shaking his head as he watched her walk away. "Poor thing. I'll be glad when we finally find her." Alana dully raised her brow. "You don't think we will."

"That we'll find her? I don't doubt that we'll find her. But I'm not bothering with hoping that she'll be alive when we do. Am I being cold?" Alana shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes you have to be, especially in this world now."

"Explains your brother's reaction when we told him you were missing."

Alana smiled. "The way we were trained…we were trained for this world. Bred for it. There's not much room for emotions anymore. We planned for days like yesterday from the start."

"…Planned?" Dale asked, not sure he wanted to hear what the planning entailed."

Alana didn't bother giving him a fake smile. She stared down at the ashes from the fire. "I don't want to become one of those things, to slowly die. Only to come back. I've seen enough people go that way. I don't want to, to feel it." She glanced over at Dale, his eyes were full of pity. "Our father, he was in the army as well. He'd tell us stories. Give us advice. The one thing he always, _always_ repeated, was 'leave one behind.' He meant, leave one bullet, save it, for yourself." Alana mimicked with her hands counting the bullets in a cartridge. "Count all your bullets, but not the last one. The last one was in case there was no way out alive. Least we could do was go out on our own terms."

Dale slightly nodded his head, his voice a whisp. "T-Dog had said they heard a gun go off in the house, when they went to find you."

"Yeah, that was me. Guess Daryl tried pulling at me, something, and I came to just like that and freaked out. Thought he was another one of those things. And there's never just one of them. So I pulled the trigger, out of instinct. But…I missed."

"We're all glad you missed," Dale offered with a smile. It garnered a light laugh from Alana. She said that she wouldn't be so sure of that, but didn't care to argue about it.

Dale scratched at his ear. "So you really shot at Daryl?" Alana laughed. "I…I can't picture anyone shooting at him and living to tell about it. You should have seen him when he got here. Nearly knocked me to the ground just trying to take my gun away. He was just…throwing things in the truck, saying we had to go back and get you."

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Alana asked with a laugh.

"Just was a bit of a shock, having us all agree with him for a change." When Alana just stared at him in silence he continued, pushing himself up in the chair a bit. "He isn't the easiest to get along with. We…had someone in the group who got bit. Shane and Rick had to hold him back from putting an axe in his head."

Alana nodded her head slowly. "Well if I get bit, don't hold him back." Dale's eyes widened. "I don't want the chance to turn into one of those things. I gladly welcome any of you to try and beat me to putting a bullet in my own head. How many people have you watched turn into one of them?" Dale told her four. "I've watched entire groups turn. No two people turn the same. Some said it feels like their bodies are shutting down, one organ at a time. The last to go are the heart and lungs. Some get lucky and lose their minds early in, they just sit there, like vegetables, mumbling nonsense. Then they come back. Always count your bullets."

There were a few minutes of silence between them. "You didn't just come over here to chat, did you?" Alana asked and Dale began chuckling. "You never _just_ talk. You always have something to say."

"Can't a man just want to talk?" He took his flappy hat off and wiped at his forehead.

"Of course he can, but you, you always have a reason for saying something. No use denying it, you're like reading an open book."

Dale laughed. "What are you, one of those face readers?" he asked.

"Doesn't take a genius to read this group," Alana said, looking over the camp.

Dale thought momentarily on the others in their group. All that time up on the RV, keeping watch, it gave him plenty of time to watch over everyone, take mental notes. He thought over each person in the group, ending with Shane. The corners of his mouth fell slightly. No idea what was going on his head, but Dale didn't need to know; he knew the one thing there was to know. Shane was dangerous.

"Yup, we're all open books."

They had reached the highway in no time. No walkers were in sight, but they remained quiet all the same. There was still no sign that Sophia had come back to the highway. Without saying a word the two returned to the truck. As they turned onto the dirt road leading to Hershel's Wilhelm began talking. He didn't look to Daryl; his gaze went out the window, following the edge of the road.

"Not sure if I can thank you enough, for going back for Alana. Probably wasn't easy, having to take orders from her. I hate it when she does that to me, mainly because I know she's right." Daryl kept his eyes on the road, his knuckles were slightly white from his beginning to grip the wheel too hard. "I know, just from the looks everyone's been giving you two, that this isn't something you normally do—looking out for someone else." Wilhelm paused, biting the inside of his cheek. "We were in Texas, when everything started happening. Weren't sure what to think of it all. Guess I didn't want to acknowledge it really, just wanted to get back home. I was so busy thinking about that. We were in the lobby of this hotel. I was trying to find a flight back home. There were people, rushing about, trying to find a way home too. I was so busy thinking of getting back home, wasn't until Alana started screaming that I saw one of those things was there. Right there, bit right into the bellboy's face. He had been passing, carrying someone's luggage. If he hadn't gone by, right at that moment, it would have gotten Alana. I felt like shit. I was shit. Nearly got her killed. Since then, it's been like all my life is now is repenting for almost getting her killed."

The farmhouse was in sight now. "Point is, I know what it feels like. Feeling like shit. Doesn't matter how much me or her thank you. If keeping an eye on her is what works for you, then that's how it is. I'll at least do my part and keep everyone else off your back."

Wilhelm hopped out of the truck and headed over to the tent where Alana was resting. Daryl took a few seconds before sliding out from behind the wheel. A few from the group were standing around; dinner must have been close to ready.

Crouching in front of the tent Wilhelm poked at Alana. She was awake, but had her back to the entrance. He could hear laughter behind him as he dragged her out and pulled her up onto her feet. He made to slap her on the back, then halted his arm midair, remembering the scar.

Daryl sat in his tent until Rick called out to everyone that dinner was ready. The sun had begun going down. By the time they finished it would likely be completely dark. T-Dog had volunteered to head out before everyone else and take watch on top the RV before the sun went down. Though being at the farmhouse made everyone feel safer, that was just it. They felt _safer, _but not _safe. _There was no such thing as _safe _anymore.

A circular table from the kitchen had been brought into the dinning room to accommodate everyone. Hershel sat at the head of the long table while the rest of his family was scattered down the table. Maggie sat with Glenn at the circular table, along with Tommy and T-Dog and Carol. Carol was closest to the kitchen. She kept getting up to get things for people. No one bothered to tell her it was ok, that she could just sit down. No one wanted to bring on another emotional outburst from her.

Everyone had already taken their seats when Wilhelm and Alana walked in. No one had thought to leave a seat open closest to the door for her, to save her a few steps. Two seats were open, on opposite sides of the table, nearest the kitchen. Daryl was sitting at one corner, the seat next to him a barrier between him and everyone else. The other empty seat was across from him. Alana took the seat next to him. To her right was Rick. He stood up quickly, pulling her seat out and pulling his own to the side, giving her easier access. Wilhelm went to the remaining seat, next to Shane.

There was a light force of obedience while Hershel said Grace. Afterwards bowls and plates were passed around, everyone filling their plates. Alana smirked at the look on Wilhelm's face when he caught sight of the platters of fish. Everyone else would have thought he was ecstatic, but Alana knew he was silently cursing the fish, along with their mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters. Grandfather had told her once when Wilhelm was young he had taken him fishing; he caught a small yellow fish and when he went to hold it up for a picture, the little thing latched onto his finger and wouldn't let go. He had held a grudge ever since.

Each plate or bowl that came towards Alana from the right, Rick would place a helping on her plate for her, and then pass it down to Daryl. Each time one came from her left, from Daryl, he always handed it directly to her. She would hold the platter or bowl in her left hand while scooping a helping onto her plate with her right hand. She'd then pass it on to Rick. The foods that were in front of her, Rick purposely pulled them closer to her, and placed the serving spoons and forks pointing towards her. A few times there would be something she wanted, that was just a bit too far in front of her; she'd tap Daryl and point towards what she wanted while quietly asking for him to pass it to her. He always let her serve herself.

Everyone ate in relative silence. A few times Glenn attempted to bring up a conversation. He had spotted a guitar earlier in the day, had tried playing it, but he only remembered how to make noise rather than music. A strained hush fell over everyone when he asked if anyone knew how to play. Wilhelm knew how to play. He wasn't about to admit it though. The way Patricia's face fell when Glenn mentioned the guitar told him it had belonged to Otis. Turned out he was right. Hershel said how Otis was a decent player. Everyone went back to eating in silence.

Alana watched from under her lashes as Glenn and Maggie passed a piece of paper. She wanted to shake her head, but thought against it. The two were doing a horrendous job at hiding the fact that they had shagged while out in the small town today, they didn't need her bringing anymore attention to them. Sure enough, Hershel took notice, though he said nothing. He would likely lecture Maggie later, after they had all gone back outside.

There was some talk about going out to look for Sophia tomorrow. It came from Rick. Shane shoved food in his mouth so as to keep any remarks from coming out. Daryl nodded a few times, agreeing with Rick's plan. He voiced his gratefulness towards Hershel and his family for taking them in, and wanting to try to replenish their supplies that had been used on them. The plan was to send one group out to look for Sophia while the other would head into the nearby town and collect what they could as far as supplies were concerned. Glenn and Maggie had only gone through the pharmacy quickly. Dale asked if there was a storage in the back and if it might have anything of use. Hershel said it was possible. The town was so small; they hadn't had any problems with looters. Rick proposed looking over the maps, to see if there were any nearby towns that they could check out. T-Dog volunteered to go with the group for a supply run before leaving the table to head out and take watch. Rick would be going too, Glenn as well. It was decided that Shane should stay behind on the farm, in case anything happened. Daryl said he would head out and look for Sophia, try to pick up her trail again. Wilhelm offered to tag along. Daryl made no objections.

When dinner was over, the women offered to help clean up while the rest of the group headed back outside. Wilhelm stopped by Hershel and told him he had a set of clean bedding; he excused himself to go outside and bring them in. Alana remained at the table until the rest had gone out so that she could take her time. As she reached the door Wilhelm was already back in, sitting the living room with Hershel. He waved a hand at her and continued talking with him.

Outside Alana prepared to stare down the steps of the porch, but smiled with welcomed shock to see Daryl there, leaning against a beam. "Thought ya might need some help," he told her. He offered his shoulder and Alana gripped onto it as she took each step, one at a time. She wagered by tomorrow night she'd be able to move about at her regular speed.

"Can I help skin any furry animals you bring back tomorrow?" she asked as they took their time making it to their tents. Daryl nodded with a quick glance her way.

Alana said goodnight to T-Dog on top the RV. She and Daryl passed Shane who was sitting in front of the fire pit. She said goodnight to him as well. Daryl subconsciously placed himself between her and Shane as they passed him by.

As he helped her to the ground so she could climb into her tent, he turned on a lantern that was just at the entrance. He looked up and saw the bandages on her shoulder; they needed to be changed. He could see the seepage of pus and blood collecting on it. He pointed at his own shoulder and told her she might want to change them. She huffed and looked around. Grabbing a pack she pulled out a medical kit. She looked round Daryl; Wilhelm must have still been in the house.

She held the kit out towards him. "You mind?" With a nod he grabbed the kit. She scooted further into the tent to make room for him. He tried to move as fast as he could; the sooner he got this over with the better. He wasn't comfortable being in the tent with her or changing her bandages. It was just there, screaming at him, reminding him how he had fucked up.

"Got anything to put on it?" he asked. Best thing would have been some alcohol. He kept his eyes on the ground when she turned around. He had had to push her top down to get at the wound properly. She was trying to tell him that they had left it in Hershel's house when he mumbled something about having some in his tent and darting out of the tent.

Hidden in the corner of his tent, behind his cot, he had a small bottle of some never-heard-of whiskey. As he tried to step out of his tent he was taken aback to see Alana pushing her way in. She cooed at the cot and welcomed herself to laying down on it.

"Oh, you are beautiful," she mumbled into the pillow. She turned her head to the left and looked at Daryl. "One morning you're going to wake up and your cot will be gone. She will have run off with me." She flipped her head back to the other side. Daryl noticed that she had brought the kit with her. He picked it up and sat down next to the cot. The faster he got this done, the faster she would leave. He poured some of the whiskey on a clean bandage and placed it over the scar. It wasn't as red anymore. Barely red at all. The skin was still healing up though, as evident from the pus. He started tearing off bits of medical tape and putting it round the edges of the bandage. He didn't like the way her skin felt; it was too soft. And she didn't flinch away from him. She was comfortable with him. He felt a twinge of jealously; she had seemed comfortable with Shane's touch too.

Discarding such stupid thoughts Daryl put everything back in the medical kit and looked back at Alana. He was finished, but she wasn't moving. He scratched the back of his head when he realized she was asleep. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He didn't want to deal with this crap, he just wanted to get to bed.

Wilhelm still hadn't come out from the house yet. Everyone else had gone to bed aside from Shane who was on top the RV. T-Dog was sitting at the fire pit. Daryl didn't know what to do, so he went to sit as well.

T-Dog nodded towards Daryl's tent. "She steal your tent?"

Daryl twitched. "Yeah," he mumbled. T-Dog laughed.

"That's one tough girl." Daryl nodded.

It was round half an hour later when Wilhelm came out from the house. T-Dog had already gone to sleep. As he walked past Daryl he slowed down, turning round to look at him when he saw his tent was opened.

Without even looking up Daryl told him, "Needed to change her bandages and she…stole my cot." Wilhelm stifled his laughter. He motioned for Daryl to follow him.

They both peeked in at Alana. She had burrowed under Daryl's blankets and had a death grip on them. When Wilhelm tried rousing her, she only faintly slapped at him. Daryl started muttering that he would just take the night's watch. He just wanted out of that tent.

"Wait," Wilhelm told him. Wilhelm went to his own tent and came back with a large, thick sleeping bag and pillow. "If you're going to head out tomorrow you need some rest. She stole yours, you can steal hers." He handed over the sleeping bag and pillow to Daryl in the tent. "Going to set my alarm for 5. See you in the morning."

And with that Wilhelm popped into his own tent, zipping it up.

Daryl just wanted to sleep.

Once again he looked at the bandage on her shoulder and sucked up his pride. He laid the sleeping bag out as quietly as he could, scooting things out of his way. He laid down facing her back and turned off his own lantern. A few times during the night he would wake up and she was still there. At some point she had turned onto her stomach. Daryl cursed himself for putting the sleeping bag so close to the cot when her arm slipped off the cot and onto his shoulder. He tried rolling over to the other side, but it only made her arm slip onto his chest instead. He was partly wishing he had actually taken his shirt off even though she was in there; she had grabbed a bit of it and each time he tried to move her grip tightened.

He fell asleep, but awoke again. She still had a grip on his shirt. As stealthy as possible he tried to pry her fingers off his shirt. He tensed when she started to stir, cradling her fingers in his. He thought she had mumbled something, but he couldn't be sure. Tucking her hand back up on the cot, he rolled over and away from her. He was none too pleased to find himself thinking about how tiny her hands were compared to his.


	16. Chapter 16

**NOTE: This Chapter has been edited, along with 15 & 17.**

**Uni has been crazy as hell! So sorry it's taken forever to update. Thankfully I have a large portion of the story already up in my head, it's just a matter of finding the time to type it all up. **

**I wanted this chapter to be longer, but didn't want to keep you guys waiting longer. Just as a heads up, in the next chapter we won't be seeing any of Daryl, but he'll be back by Chapter 18. **

**As usual, don't own anything, words in italics are being spoken in German. **

**R&R!**

The sun was close to rising and Daryl was awake. His back was to Alana and he kept it that way. He shut his eyes tightly when he heard her moving. He could hear the blankets being kicked down and the soft thud as she grounded her feet. He never felt her come near him, lean over him. The buzz of the zipper filled his ears as she left. Daryl was about to roll over, to crawl into the cot. He stopped and clamped his eyelids shut when Alana's steps came back. She must have realized that Daryl was using her sleeping bag.

"You stole my bag," she mumbled, still half asleep. Daryl rolled over to see her rubbing her eyes, or at least trying; she kept catching the bridge of her nose instead.

"Ya stole my cot," he whispered. Alana's shoulders hunched and she giggled quietly. "What time is it?" he asked, pointing to her wrist. She brought the watch close to her face and stared at it.

"Almost 5," she told him. He unzipped himself from the sleeping bag and stood up. "Where you going?" she asked, though from her tone it seemed she was still too asleep to fully realize what she was asking.

"Take a piss," Daryl muttered while putting his boots on.

When Daryl came back—he had snuck into the farmhouse, it was closer than walking off into the woods—Alana had dragged the sleeping bag over alongside the cot. She had zipped it up as far as she could. Nothing but part of the pillow and her head stuck out. Daryl was too tired to care much. He didn't bother kicking his boots off. He stepped over Alana to lay down on the cot. He looked down when Alana rolled over in the sleeping bag to poke her head up at him. She said something about breakfast; Daryl just nodded. He guessed that she wanted to be wakened when breakfast was ready.

As the sun began to rise Daryl could hear the others getting up and moving about. When he opened his eyes Alana was sitting up looking at her knee. She was removing the brace to poke and prod at the stitches. It looked decent. Without looking up at him she said, "Morning. When did I kick you out of the sleeping bag?"

"I got up to take a piss and you got in."

"Ah," Alana said as she braced herself for standing up. "Sorry about that." She unzipped the entrance.

"Shouldn't you put that brace back on?" Daryl asked, cloaking his concern with a bored tone. She didn't answer back. And like that she was gone.

Alana unzipped hers and Wilhelm's tent and took a seat on the floor. Wilhelm was awake, sitting up in a corner reading a book. He took note that she wasn't wearing the brace. He didn't see any reason to scold her about it; he would have felt the same way having to wear it. It did nothing but show the world that you were an easy target. Alana rummaged through the pack with the medical supplies. She pulled out a bottle of painkillers; twisting off the lid she picked two of the capsules out. Wilhelm tossed a bottle of water at her and suggested she wait till she had some food in her belly before taking them. He knew the bottle she had grabbed was the Vicodin. She huffed and dropped the pills back in the bottle then dropped the bottle in a side pocket of her shorts. She grabbed her toothbrush and mini bottle of mouth rinse. Stepping outside she took a swig of it, spit it out, then poured some more on her toothbrush. As she brushed her teeth she took some not so cautious steps around the tent. She kept her head down, watching the skin on her knee stretch and relax. Probably wouldn't the best of ideas to go running about the farmhouse, but she was pretty sure after taking some of that Vicodin she'd be up to the challenge.

If anyone noticed Alana coming from Daryl's tent, they didn't say anything. Most certainly not around Daryl himself. Everyone sat down and ate breakfast in silence; eggs and biscuits again. Daryl caught T-Dog looking his way, but gave no sign that he was about to mention what had happened the night before. It wasn't until people were finishing up that Rick spoke, telling everyone what they would be doing for the day. He, T-Dog, and Glenn got up to start packing for their trip into town. Daryl stood up, tossing his plate on the chair, and headed back to his tent to grab his things. He had wanted to go ahead and leave earlier, before everyone woke up, but with Wilhelm tagging along he didn't feel that he had much say in when they left. It irritated him. But he didn't say anything. He would never admit it, but if given the choice he never wanted to cross the German.

As he was exiting his tent he overheard Wilhelm and Alana arguing. He didn't understand a word of it. He stepped out just in time to see Wilhelm walk off towards the farmhouse. Alana appeared from their tent. Her lips were set in a tight, straight line.

He didn't ask what was wrong, but he figured by the look on his face she could tell he was wondering about it. She crouched down, right leg stretched out to her side to keep the stitches from tearing. She began tearing through the pack of clothing, gathering up the dirty ones in a pile.

"Told me to go wash our clothes. _Bastard._" She huffed, brushing stray hairs out of her face. "I'm not used to staying behind. Never could afford to stay behind, too many risks." She looked up at Daryl, eyeing his crossbow with an angered envy. She shook her head. _"Expects me to wait around with these fools, washing clothes, wringing my hands, nothing but a target."_ She looked at Daryl again, realizing she was ranting in German. "Sorry."

Daryl said nothing, didn't nod, just walked away towards the RV to wait for Wilhelm.

Daryl leaned against the RV, pushing himself off when Wilhelm came around from the front. He had a rifle, binoculars, and two handguns with him. He handed one over to Daryl after twisting the silencer on it. Wilhelm waved off at Rick and the other two as they drove off down the road. Shane stood atop the RV. Wilhelm nodded at him.

Coming to the side of the farmhouse they caught up with Lori, Andrea, and Carol. They were carrying dirty clothes to a large wash bin at the backside of the house. Andrea was looking past Wilhelm and Daryl. She had that stance that meant she was waiting for someone. The men turned around to see Alana slowly coming up, a bundle of clothes under her arm. Wilhelm turned back around. Daryl did as well. But biting at his thumb, he huffed. He turned back to Alana and started walking towards her, his demeanor frustrated.

"What the hell ya doing? What did I say? Told ya I needed more arrows, now go back and get sorting through them. Give me that," he said, tearing the bundle from her arm and marching it over towards Andrea. He dropped it in her arms and stalked back to Wilhelm who had stopped and was watching, his face cool. Daryl looked back over at Alana; she was still standing in the same spot, staring at him. "What's the matter, don't tell me ya forgot which ones I said to pick out?"

"Sorry," Alana said quietly, "got confused." Her face was blank. What exactly was Daryl playing at?

"Go on ahead," Daryl huffed at Wilhelm, "I'll catch up." Without a sign of doubt on his face Wilhelm continued on at a slow pace.

Daryl walked back over to Alana and brushed right past her, heading to the tents. He didn't slow down a bit for her. Shane watched with confusion as the two came back, Daryl rather far out ahead of Alana. He asked if everything was okay. He asked Alana. Not Daryl. Alana nodded.

As she made it back to the tents, Daryl was looking through the tubes of arrows, taking some out and studying them. When he found a suitable one he'd hand it over to Alana, who would then turn it over, trying to remember what it looked like. There were two types that would work in his crossbow.

"Here," he said, handing her the second one. "And after you're done with that you best start learning how to shoot your own. Tired of having to feed everyone." He said everything loud enough that even Shane could hear.

The whole time they stood there he never looked over at her. When she mumbled a faint, "Thank you," he did look at her though. Her smile was laced with irony. He gave her a nod when she asked him to bring her back some squirrels.

He looked back over to the farmhouse. "If they try to get ya to do anything, just…make something up. Tell 'em I told ya to clean my knives or something." Without waiting for a response he left.

Alana sat down on the floor of his tent, legs spread out before her. She dumped all the arrows out and began comparing them to the first arrow Daryl had handed her. One by one, she placed them either to her side or back in one of the tubes. When she was done, she went inside the farmhouse for Hershel to check her leg and shoulder. While in there, she got Maggie to agree to let her help out with cleaning out the horse stalls. Anything to keep her from having to do laundry.

It wasn't even close to noon when Alana had run out of things to do. She sat in the dining room eating one of her bags of ramen noodles. She wasn't very much hungry, so she had split it with Carl. The young boy was presently talking to her, of how he planned to go out and find Sophia. How he would be the one to set everything right. With every word Alana could see him morphing into his father. Like father, like son. Usually that was a good thing, something to be proud of. In this instance Alana wasn't so sure about that.

Growing dulled by Carl's talking in circles Alana quieted him. "We all want to go out there and find her, but some of us have to stay behind. Have to make sure there's a place to bring her back to. And do you want to know a secret?"

Alana lowered her voice at the question and Carl leaned over in his chair to listen to her. "Yeah."

"When we had our missions, in the army, and we had to split up, the strongest always stayed behind. To defend our location."

Carl mulled the words over. "So…we're the strongest then? We have to defend the farm."

"That's right. Now I'll tell you what, how about you head out, check on everyone, make sure they're all getting something done. I'm sure your dad will appreciate to hear that you're keeping an eye on everyone while he's gone."

Carl beamed at her suggestion and hurried off, shoving the last bit of his noodles in his mouth and dumping the bowl in the sink. Alana relished the silence. It wasn't long before she finished her own bowl. It wasn't long before she became bored.

There was nothing left on the farm for her to do. The other women had taken care of the chores that needed to be done. Dale had taken up residence atop the RV while Shane walked the edge of the farmland. Tommy and Hershel were picking vegetables along with Patricia. Maggie and Beth sat on the porch. Carol was once again the RV. Alana had spotted Andrea heading off in the direction Shane had gone.

As she left the house Alana had asked Maggie if there was anything she could help out with, but there was nothing. Resigning to join Dale on watch she walked over to the RV. She still wore the same shorts from the day before. She had reluctantly changed into an undershirt of Wilhelm's; Hershel told her it would be better for her to wear while the wound on her shoulder finished healing. There was a hardened scab over it now. He told her not to scratch at it. Surprisingly it had nearly stopped leaking puss and so he had told her she could go the day without a bandage on it, but that at night she would have to cover it up. The stitches in her knee were staying in place. She was told to keep an eye on it, keep it clean.

The upside to wearing Wilhelm's wifebeater, as Dale had called it, was that it breathed rather nicely in the heat. He had rushed over to the side of the RV to give Alana a hand climbing up. She waved a hand at him when he offered the lawn chair to her. She sat at the edge, her feet dangling.

She watched Dale as he looked over as Shane and Andrea were walking through the fields back to the farmhouse. She could see the furrowed brow, though she questioned who it was he was watching. She was slightly taken aback when Dale spoke to her, his eyes still on the pair.

"You know all our stories, what's their stories?"

"You mean can they be trusted." Alana sighed. "He's sound of mind, at least partially," she said of Shane. "Downfall is that he doesn't have a clue how to carry out his actions. It will be his ruin. As for her, we both know she's following him down that same path. May not be apparent right now, but there'll be little things, here and there."

"The group would be better off if he left," Dale said with certainty. Alana chuckled.

"Well then, perhaps Wilhelm and I should leave with him." Dale looked at her in shock. While he may fear of them just as he did Shane, he still felt safer with them around. "Only difference between us and Shane, we know when to keep our mouths shut. We know when to take no action."

As Shane and Andrea neared the RV Alana told Dale to take a break, that she would cover for him. She muttered something about having to fold laundry. Dale smiled weakly. He left before Shane and Andrea got to the RV.

Shane chuckled and propped his hands on his hips as they stopped and looked up at Alana. "The lone German," he said.

"Lone German with a gun," Alana countered, holding up the shotgun Dale had left with her.

"You done with all those chores the redneck left for you?"

"Yup. Lori's taking clothes from yesterday down, gonna need some help folding." Her words were directed at Andrea. With a bit of a huff Andrea started walking back to the farmhouse. It was supposed to be Andrea's turn to keep watch; she had been asking about, wanting to do more than just the "woman things." Once she was far enough Shane looked up at Alana again.

"Pretty pathetic lie you had there," he said to her climbing up on the RV.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Just thought you could use with a break from having a second shadow. You're welcome." She bent her head to the side and gave an exaggerated smile.

"Heh, it's not that bad. Girl just needs to not be so eager to be all Rambo, rushing all headfirst into everything." Shane bent down to pick up a water bottle, Alana smirked at his words.

Shane sat down in the chair, staring at Alana's back. "Healing up pretty good."

"Yeah," Alana said, reaching around to poke it. Shane shook his head with a laziness.

"Crazy girl."

"Perhaps," Alana mused.

"Your brother say when they'd be heading back?"

Alana shook her head. "He took supplies to last them two days in case something happened." Shane nodded his head even though she could see him do so.

There was a silence between them. It was broken when Carol came out from the RV. She looked up at Alana, covering her eyes from the sun. She said she was going to see if she could help with preparing dinner. Alana and Shane only nodded at her.

"We ain't gonna find that girl," Shane said once Carol was at the porch talking with Maggie and Beth.

"In all probability, we'll find her," Alana said. Shane chuckled, rubbing his brow. Alana bit back, "We'll find her dead. I don't care how many childhood stories Daryl has about wandering around in the woods on his own, this isn't him we're talking about. This is a little girl that's likely spooked of her own shadow, just like her mother. The girl is dead, people need to accept that. Easier to accept that she's dead and then find her alive, than it'll be to hope she's alive and find her dead."

Shane rubbed at his chin. "See now that's what I've been trying to tell everyone. Course no one listens. They all…they all look to Rick like he's some hero. Some King Arthur."

"Or Yoda," Alana added. They both laughed. "It's his own fault, that they look to him for everything. Looks to me like he's allowed them to. But when we find Sophia, and she's dead, they won't be so eager to follow him. This group is falling apart."

"You know," Shane started, leaning over in the chair towards her. "When Sophia went missing, I had been thinking of leaving. On my own. There ain't no place for me. Rick showed up and just like that everyone turned to him." He was bitter.

Carol was heading back to the RV.

"Wilhelm and I have left groups behind before, when we knew there was nothing left to stay for. It's never matter to us, how much a group has needed us. All that matters is, do we need the group? If it comes down to it, we're prepared to leave; find another group to join, maybe stay on our own."

Carol was getting closer.

"That new car of mine would better than that truck of yours," Shane said quietly. Alana turned around and nodded at him with an understanding in her eyes.

She'd have to speak with Wilhelm later.

There were only a few hours left before the sun would begin to set. Neither of the groups had returned yet. Everyone had figured that Rick and the others would make it back first. It wasn't unlike Daryl to stay out, tracking game. If he caught a trail, even with Wilhelm along, he would track it.

Alana was tired of sitting atop the RV. Shane had stayed up there with her, but they didn't speak after Carol came back. Dale had gone off with Tommy, to catch fish. They were making their way back. They had caught five fishes. Dale thought it was decent; he doubted everyone would be up for a second round of fish for dinner. As Dale came into view Alana turned to Shane.

"Was anyone going to the highway?"

Shane shook his head.

"Right then, I'll go. Still haven't had a chance to drive that truck." She was moving towards the ladder. Shane stood up, following after her.

"By yourself? With a lame leg?"

"It isn't lame! I'm standing on it, am I not? If you think I'm so incapable of doing so, then why don't you come and look for Sophia too?" Alana raised her voice, directing her eyes to the side. Her back was to the RV, but Carol was inside and she knew she could hear. Shane caught on.

"Alright then. Carol!" Shane called out. He knocked on the door and Carol opened it. They could see instantly that she had heard them. "We're gonna go back to the highway, check for Sophia. You think you could sit up on the RV till we get back? Just holler if you hear anything."

Carol nodded her head. "Thank you." She went back into the RV to grab her water bottle and then started climbing up the ladder.

"We'll take your car. I'll get supplies," Alana said as they headed towards the farmhouse. Alana made a stop at her tent, tossing things into a small pack, before heading for Shane's vehicle. By then a small crowd had formed. Shane was standing outside the driver's side, door open. He was telling the others where they were going.

"Look, we'll be right back. Rick and the others should be heading back anytime. None of them said they'd be checking the highway, it's in the opposite direction."

Lori looked over to the RV, to Carol. With an exasperated sigh she nodded her head. One by one everyone else backed off.

Alana opened the passenger door and slid in. She had picked up her brace and put it back on. She was walking faster, just with a stiffness as she had tightened the brace as much as possible.

Dale was the last to step away from the car. Alana had rolled down her window and he leaned in. He looked at both of them.

"Be careful." Both nodded. Both knew his words were meant for only her.

As the farm grew smaller in the rearview mirror Shane couldn't deny that part of him felt a sort of relief. He looked over at Alana. She was messing around with the various buttons on the center console. He wished, for a moment, that they didn't have to come back.


	17. Chapter 17

**NOTE: This chapter has been edited, along with 15 & 16.**

**Yay another chapter! And turns out Daryl will make an appearance in it too! Was going to split it up, but I just liked the way it flowed together so I didn't. **

**Enjoy! **

**Italics = German**

The drive to the highway was silent. Alana had kept the window halfway down. They passed no walkers on the way. As they neared, Shane stopped the car thirty yards away from where they had left the supplies for Sophia. If another herd showed up they needed to be able to get away quickly, not having to worry about getting the car turned around. They walked down the center of the road, Alana checking their backs as they progressed.

Shane didn't bother to say anything when they approached the car the supplies were lying on, all of them untouched, still in place. He lowered his gun and looked around.

"Let's head back," Alana said, taking a few steps back and turning to their car.

She stopped after taking three steps, holding up her left hand, motioning for Shane to stop. She turned her head quickly, from side to side. She looked like a bird cocking its head every which way like that. Shane began to say something and she hushed him.

"Do you hear that?" she asked him, turning back to their car again.

"Walkers?" Shane said, stepping closer to her. She shook her head.

"Another car." She listened for another second. "Move. Now." She walked quickly to the car, her rifle still held up in place, finger on the trigger.

As they reached the car, hands stretched out for the doors, the noise of an engine grew louder. Both knew just from the sound of it that the vehicle wasn't one of theirs. Shane slid in to the driver's seat, turning the key. Alana hopped up in as well, but stopped, looking at the side mirror. The car had just come into view. It was still a speck, but whoever was in the car would surly see them.

_"Fuck,"_ Alana cursed. "Get out. They've seen us." Alana slid back out of the car, closing her door and walking around as if she was checking the area again, her rifle held back up. She turned and looked down the road to the approaching car. Then she turned to Shane. "Get out," she said again, walking over to Shane's side. He stepped out reluctantly, gun in hand. "It's just you and me, no one else. We've checked some nearby farms, they're either wrecked or full of bodies. Wait till they say where they've come from before saying where we're from. We stopped to see how far this jam goes down the highway." The car was still a ways off, but still she kept her voice low. "Do not give your real name. Rest of our group is dead."

She reached into the car and pulled out her binoculars.

"Three in the car. One looks young, early twenties, other two mid thirties to early forties. One is a woman. When they get here, do not block them from me." She peered down at her right shoulder with a hard eye. No matter what they said, those people in the care would think she was bitten. With her knee in a brace she'd be easy to pick off if these people tried to overpower them.

Looking to Shane, she could see a million scenarios were running through his head rapidly, his brain desperately trying to find one to cling to. He knew just as well as she did that with that scar on her shoulder this coming group would not so easily trust them. Maybe they could scare them away. Fire a couple of shots, get them to turn around and leave.

It seemed like forever, waiting for the car to reach them. It was a small red four door car. The man driving it, the older of the three with tanned, wrinkled skin and whitening hair, stopped the car about two hundred feet away from Alana and Shane. The woman next to him looked battered, like she belonged in a women's shelter. The young man in the back seat looked gaunt, the outline of his skull apparent under his skin. The older man rolled down his window and yelled out.

"We're not armed!" He said something to the woman and boy, they then all raised their hands.

Shane eyed Alana quickly before taking one step forward. "Get out of the car!" The three did so, after the older man said something else to the two with him. "Turn around!" Shane told them, watching at their waistlines as they each turned in place. He lowered his gun when he saw that Alana was lowering hers. A finger lingered near the trigger.

"Where are you coming from?" Shane asked.

"Clarkesville," the older man told him.

Shane shook his head. "Sorry, don't know where that is."

The older man nodded. "It's up north, not too far from the state line. What about yourself?"

"Atlanta."

"I'm Chris." He pointed to his wife, "Sally. And our boy, Marcus."

"Luke. This is Ashley." Alana nodded to the family, her eyes moving quickly over each of them. She stepped away from the car, making sure the reflection of her back couldn't be seen in it.

Chris nodded over to the litter of cars. "How far does it go?"

Shane shrugged. "Just got here."

"We can help you look then." Chris looked to his son and motioned for him to go back to the car. "Can't believe we actually ran into you, haven't seen anyone else in, well we stopped counting days long time ago." They watched as he opened the trunk and rummaged through it before pulling out two bats. He handed one to his father and the two began walking over to Shane and Alana. He reached his hand out to Shane. With a pause he shook his hand

"We can take a look," Chris said with a smile at Alana.

"We don't separate," Alana said, only her voice was most certainly not German. There was a strong twang to her tone, a southern belle. Shane rubbed at his nose to keep himself from breaking their cover as he stopped himself from smiling. "That's why there's only us two left."

The smile on Chris's face faltered. "There were more of you?"

Shane nodded. "Just us now. Been on our own for a while, weren't sure there were any others still alive."

"Strength in numbers then," Chris said. He motioned for Sally to come along with them. "Where'd you get those guns? Lot more fancy than this," he said, shaking his bat at his side.

"Broke into a police station."

Chris laughed. "Never thought of doing that. Clever brains you got there."

"It was Luke's idea."

Shane was thankful when they reached the car with Sophia's supplies on it. It was at that point that they had stopped moving the cars from the road. The other three stopped and looked over the sign and the food. Shane stepped forward and opened a packet of peanuts. He turned to the others. He was shocked that the others had just allowed Alana to step behind them. As they had walked off from their car she turned in her spot until everyone had passed her, picking up the rear. She stood to the right side of car.

"Doubt this Sophia will miss them, probably dead." The others agreed and eagerly grabbed at the food.

Shane had barely finished the sentence before there was something wet sprayed over his face, followed by thick _thuds_. He wiped roughly at his face, smearing the blood all over. He was gasping. He looked down at the three bodies. Each had been shot squarely in the back of their heads. Alana walked over to a nearby car; it's trunk was slightly open. It was filled with luggage and loose items. She began pulling everything out and tossing it in the backseat.

"What the fuck?" Shane shouted at her as she walked back and began dragging the body of the boy towards the other car. "You just shot them! What the hell is wrong with you?"

Alana huffed, tossing the arms of the boy roughly towards the ground. "I did what had to be done. You even _look_ at his hands when he shook yours?" She pointed to the older man. Shane looked down at him, he pushed him with his foot, rolling him over. His hands, more so his fingers, were dirty. Stained a hue of brown. "He was trying rather hard to keep that arm still. Felt like he was shivering a bit when you took his hand, didn't it?" Shane nodded absentmindedly. "Shivers. It's call Kuru. Guessing he was just starting to show the signs. They probably started eating others not long after the outbreak. Now, help me with these bodies."

In a haze, Shane helped her lift and carry the three bodies over to the trunk of a nearby car. They stuffed and crammed them in, slamming the trunk down. With the butt of her rifle Alana beat in the lock. She slung the rifle over her left shoulder and picked up the opened packages of food. Taking a look around she turned back to Shane. His finger was on the trigger of his gun, watching her.

"What do you think they would have done if they saw my shoulder? They would have thought I was bitten. Nothing we said would have mattered. They would have killed me and then eaten you." He opened his mouth, but she kept talking. "Shit, it would have been worse if they thought I had been bitten; I'm not showing any of the signs. What would they have thought? That I'm somehow immune? Yeah, that would have been great. Moment they allowed themselves to think that, they would have no longer seen me. They would have seen a cure. They would have cut me up looking for it and then they'd eat you." She began walking away. "Let's head back."

"What the fuck is Kuru?" Shane asked, following after her, gun still in hand.

Alana stomped her good foot and she stopped and turned around to address him. "Have you ever seen _any_ of those 'end of the world' movies? Always showing the cannibals being crazy. And those Hollywood directors, they used Kuru as their excuse for why the cannibals were crazy, sadistic monsters."

Shane shook his head, walking towards her, lazily sticking his gun out towards her as if it was just his finger. "Shit don't matter." He cocked his head to the side. "How you know they weren't just sick?"

"How do you know they were? Would you have preferred we make merry with them and wait to see if they tried making a roast out of us? Thought you of all people would know, you don't hesitate." She looked over at the trunk of the car they had put the bodies in. "Hesitate and you just might die." She turned and kept walking.

Approaching the car, Alana stopped and pulled out the knife at her side; she hadn't brought the machete. With a bit of resistant, she cut through her braid. Wilhelm had been chiding her since the beginning of this outbreak that long hair was a bad idea. Just one more than for those things to grab on to. She didn't doubt that he would enjoy having been right about it. She ran her fingers through her hair and it quickly fell into a messy bob about her face. She stepped up to Shane.

"Hit me."

He just stared at her.

"Hit me. We can't go back without any scratches on us." When he still didn't move she sighed angrily and pulled him towards a blue sedan. "Right then, throw me at it. You want the others to believe us or not?"

"We can just say it was walkers."

"And what if one of the others comes to check for Sophia and they see their car?"

"We just push the car off the road, flip it, do whatever with it," Shane countered.

Alana nodded, but still said, "And what if those people were part of a larger group and they come looking for them? How do we explain to the group that we don't know anything?"

At that question Shane relented, grabbing at her shoulders rocking her back and forth, trying to decide just how to shove her. He angled her so that she wouldn't hit her left shoulder into the car. It was s sharp _bang_ as she collided with the door. Her head snapped back partly and shattered the glass just a bit. She steadied herself, rubbing her head; her hand came back with spots of blood on it. She picked up a small shard of glass from a broken window and gently poked at her arms and legs. The hood of the blue sedan was up and so she rubbed her hands on the parts then ran them over her clothes.

"Right, your turn now." She turned to Shane and looked him over. "They were busy trying to get away with me, so we just need to make it look like they shoved you off a few times. She stepped forward. "Gonna have to punch you. Sorry."

"Careful for the eyes," he said, taking a firm stance and preparing himself. She reeled back and her fist grazed over his left cheek. He whipped his head side to side, rubbing at his jar. He could taste blood. Alana stood back over the car and rubbed her hands over the engine and tubes. Dirtying Shane up, she looked over him again. She motioned for him to give her his hands. Soon as he offered them up she lashed out, digging into them with her nails. He yelled at her.

"Shut up. You want this to work?"

Deciding that they had done enough, Alana walked back over to the car where the supplies for Sophia were sitting. She picked up a bottle of water and poured it over her hands. Finding a random piece of clothing in the car she began wiping her hands clean.

Getting into the car, Shane took a moment after starting the engine and looked over at her. She shook her head.

"Did what had to be done. We were protecting the farm."

Shane nodded after a thought. "Yeah, protecting the farm." With that he put the car in drive and completed a u-turn, heading back to the farm. As they came up to the other car he slowed down. "Wait here," he told her as he put the car in park and got out. He opened the driver's side and released the brake. He pushed it off to the side of the road, into a ditch. As he walked away he thought of opening the trunk, but the smell alone told him he shouldn't. He could see faint bloody prints on it, like someone had tried wiping them away, to hide them. Part of him didn't want to know if Alana truly was right.

The silence of their ride back to the farm was filled with tension. Shane continuously shifted around in his seat. "Right," he said as they neared the farm. It would be coming into view soon; they had just turned down the dirt road. "They attacked us. Tried to pull you into their car. Didn't have a choice. We don't gotta go into detail. I'll tell Rick that's what happened and that'll be it. You just, you just let me do all the talking."

"Yeah," Alana said quietly, "follow your lead."

"Did what we had to do. I shot them. Shot them all."

Alana felt that he wasn't talking to her anymore at that point. She remained silent.

They were coming down the road, the farmhouse in sight. Rick's car was there. They could make out the large form of Wilhelm on the porch. Quickly everyone gathered outside, waiting for them as they pulled up.

"Nothing about them being cannibals. We can, we can tell Rick, when the others aren't around. I'll talk to him later."

"Of course," Alana agreed.

They were bombarded with questions as soon as they opened their doors, but they were all hushed when they saw the smear of blood on Shane's face. He looked down as he got out and saw that his clothes were stained as well.

Rick stepped forward. "What happened?"

"There were others on the road. They spotted us, couldn't hide." Everyone turned to Alana as if to confirm what Shane was telling them. She scratched at her head.

"Three of them. They attacked us. They tried to pull me in their car, but Shane stopped them."

Everyone began speaking at the same time, not a single word being heard. Rick shouted for everyone to calm down.

"Were they part of a group?" he asked Shane.

Shane shook his head. "Nah, we saw their car, looked like they had been living in it. They saw her back," he said, taking his regular stance. "One of them started saying how sorry they were. Next thing we know, they're trying to drag her into their car, saying how everything would be ok."

"What?" Glenn asked, his face making that quivering motion.

Alana stepped forward, shaking her head. "They must have thought they were doing me some favor. We tried telling them it wasn't a bite, but they wouldn't listen. We didn't have a choice. They were…they were just acting so strange."

The others began asking Shane more questions. Some were directed at her as well. Anything that Shane said, she backed him up on it.

"Look, we took care of it, alright? We cleaned up the best we could. If anyone else comes by they won't even notice," Shane said, standing off from everyone.

"What if they were part of a group? What if they come looking for their friends?" Dale asked. "Did you even think of that before you killed them?"

Shane stepped towards him, looking down his nose at him. He pointed over at Alana. "They were trying to cut her fucking throat! Alright? What did you want me to do, sit down and hold hands? Talk it out? I did what needed to be done so that I wouldn't have to come back here and explain to Wilhelm why his sister was bleeding out on the road."

Rick came to stand between them, putting a hand on Shane and pushing him back. "Alright, that's enough. It's done, it's over. They're both back here, safely. That's all that matters. If those people attacked Alana, who knows what they would have done if they found the farm. It was self-defense." He looked round to the others, when no one said anything he nodded his head, to himself, then said that they should start getting to work on dinner. One by one everyone walked away, heads turning back to look at Shane and Alana. Wilhelm was still standing on the porch. Alana nodded his way and he returned the gesture. No words needed to be said, not yet.

She sighed, nodding at Shane, and began walking to the tents. Carol walked with her until Alana veered off to head to her own tent.

"I'm sorry Carol," she said, forgetting, "we didn't see Sophia. Those other people, they took some of the food we left for her, but I put everything else back in place for her."

Carol smiled. "I'm just happy you and Shane are okay. We can't lose you too." The two went their owns ways. Carol was genuinely happy the two of them were safe, but it could be seen on her face she missed her daughter. Alana wondered how long she would hold onto the hope that Sophia was still alive or if she had already begun to let go.

Alana slowed down when she felt Daryl staring at her back. He had been following slowly behind her.

"You bring those squirrels you promised me?" she asked, not turning around. He said yes roughly. They were already on the picnic table, waiting to be skinned. "Good." She said she would join him and went off to grab her skinning knife from her tent.

Neither said anything at first as they skinned the first three squirrels. There were only six. The rest of the camp was silent too. Everyone was on edge. Alana was over it.

"What happened to your hair?" Daryl asked as he angrily yanked the skin off one of his squirrels.

"Guy grabbed at it. I've come to the decision that ponytails are not a wise choice during the end of the world." She looked over at him as he yanked the other half of skin off the squirrel. "Something on your mind there Daryl?"

"Why the fuck did you go out there with him?" he asked, grabbing another squirrel and looking off towards Shane's tent.

Alana shrugged her shoulders. "You and Wilhelm weren't here. Sorted those arrows for you. Put them in their own tube for you too."

"I don't fucking care about the arrows," Daryl muttered as he finished his last squirrel, tossing it in the bucket along with the others. He stood up and left, stalking back to his tent.

Alana didn't turn around to watch him go. Once she finished her last two squirrels she carried the bucket into the house to wash them. She brought them back out and gave them to Dale who was preparing the meat. He already had a fire going.

Alana had gone to her tent after finishing preparing the squirrels and waited for Wilhelm. When he came he didn't say a word as he pulled out their medical kit and began cleaning her up. He had zipped up the entrance. As he was taking a look at her head—the cuts were small and had already dried up—he asked Alana what happened. The way he asked it, he knew what Shane had said wasn't true.

And so Alana told him everything. How she had taken charge, how she had been the one to kill the three people—how she had killed a woman and young boy, likely just a few years younger than her. And she told him how he had reacted, once they were back in the car, that he so easily slipped into the lie she had begun.

_"Is he going to tell Rick the truth?"_ he asked her. He was digging through their clothing pack, pulling out new clothes for her to wear. He gave her another pair of loose shorts and a white shirt of his own.

_"I honestly don't know. Maybe?"_

_"Alright then, I'll talk to Rick tomorrow."_

Alana scoffed. _"You think he'll actually do anything about it?"_

_"What is there to do? You had to kill those people, there was no other way."_

_"No, not that. I mean about Shane. The way he reacted. That man Hershel lost, Otis, he went with Shane to that school and he didn't come back. What did Shane tell us? That he sacrificed himself. Fucking bullshit Wilhelm, I don't believe it."_

Wilhelm bowed while Alana changed out of the dirty shorts and into the clean pair. He then helped her remove the tank top. He was very thankful for sports bras. Nothing fancy about them, nothing _sexy_ about them. Alana had cut the strap off one side so that she wouldn't have to worry about it irritating the scar.

_"And we can't do anything about it until we have proof. Even if we do get some sort of proof, a confession, slip up, we have to be careful. Careful what we say and who we say it to."_

Alana sat on the ground opposite her brother, right leg stretched out. Looking over her stitches, everything looked to be in order. The brace was a bit dirty; she wiped at it with a rag.

_"We may have a problem with Shane."_

Wilhelm eyed his sister with concern. _"What did he do?"_ Alana felt that her worries about Shane were given a leg to stand on just from Wilhelm's question, instantly asking what he had done.

She told Wilhelm what Shane had told her, about planning to leave the group before Sophia went missing. _"He…in a way, asked to come with us, if we left the group." _

_"What did he say, exactly?" _

Alana thought back. _"He said that his car was probably a better choice than that old truck of ours. I didn't say anything, I just nodded at him."_

Wilhelm sighed, rubbing his hands down his face. "Alright. _I can go talk to him, won't let on that I know what really happened. Just tell him how grateful I am. I will _not_ offer anything to him in exchange for saving you. We….we just have to lead him on, let him think that we would actually welcome him to come with us if we left." _He looked at the zipped entrance, thinking of what they would do if they did actually leave, where they would go, if they would join another group.

_"Are we really going to leave, if things get…bad?" _A hint of meekness hid in her voice when she asked him. She was growing to enjoy being around others. She was enjoying being around Daryl; he was like Wilhelm, except he didn't snore.

"I don't know. _I spoke with Hershel, let him know that we are willing to help out with farm work, earn our place. He's a very religious man. Finally, Sunday church comes in handy," _he joked with her. _"He's still, unsure, of the entire group. He asked what I knew about them. I said very little, but that I would keep an eye on Shane. We just have to take it day by day. And…if it comes to it, if something happens, then we'll leave. If those things show up here, if they show up near here, and they go all American, shooting off their guns, it'll only attract more."_

_"And so we'd leave then?"_

_"Yeah, we'd have no choice. I don't think they realize how those things move, what motivates them."_

Alana put it out there. _"What about Daryl?"_

_"What about Daryl?"_

Alana widened her eyes a bit. _"We can't just leave him here on his own."_

_"You want to take him with us, if we leave?" Wilhelm smiled. "He doesn't play well with others in case you haven't noticed. Besides, we don't even know if he'd want to come with us."_

_"But we'd at least ask him, wouldn't we?"_

_"If he did come with us, it would be out of guilt, especially if you asked him."_ Alana made a face. _"He's feel as if he owes you and so he'd leave the others behind, for you. That isn't fair to them, without him how long do you think they'd last?"_

Wilhelm was right, Alana knew he was. But she didn't want to accept that Daryl would come out of guilt. Even Wilhelm didn't want to be right.

_"If we leave, I'm asking him to come with us," _Alana said in a steady voice. She rolled up the dirty clothes and began unzipping the tent to toss them outside. She looked up at the other tents. _"You should go speak with Shane now." _Wilhelm agreed, but didn't stand up right away. He watched as Alana did though, she began stepping outside. He asked where she was going. "_To speak with Daryl. Rick may not do anything when we tell him about Shane, but Daryl will at least listen, keep an eye on him. Like you said, guilt. He'll look after me out of guilt."_

Dinner was almost ready.

Daryl had stayed in his tent, staring at random pages in a book he had taken from Dale's RV. He could hear Alana and Wilhelm speaking in their tent. In German. Most of the time they spoke quietly, even though they spoke in German. Other times they spoke at a regular level. This time they were speaking lowly. He listened even though he didn't understand a word. He listened because he could hear them mention his name. And Shane's.

As he heard someone's footsteps coming towards his tent he quickly flipped through the pages and started reading the first line on a random page.

Alana poked her head in and looked down at him. She invited herself in. Looking back out she saw Wilhelm walk off towards Shane's tent. Once he neared it she turned back to face Daryl.

"No one invited you in here," Daryl told her.

"Shane didn't kill any of them. I did."

Daryl looked up to her, putting the book down. That got his interest.

She took a seat on the ground. She ran a hand through her hair, careful to not touch the little wounds. "None of what he said happened. No one came after us. They were just standing there and I shot them. But they were eating people, you could smell it coming off their car. And their hands were shaking—it's, it's something that happens when you eat human meat."

Daryl didn't hear much of what she was saying. He was stuck on learning that it was all lie. He quickly looked her over. "He do that to you then?" It wasn't much of a question than it was an accusation. Alana had to reach out and pull him back down as he went to stand up and stomp out of the tent. He pulled his arm back swiftly and looked down at her before sitting back down.

"No. Well, yes, but I made him. Those people would have followed us back here. We had to rough each other up so that you and the others wouldn't question anything we said."

Daryl stared down at his feet. "You alright?" He was uncomfortable looking at her for too long; the shirt was wearing was white and he could see the black sports bra underneath.

Alana nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just, bumped my head a bit on a window." Looking out the tent Alana saw Wilhelm coming back from Shane's tent. "Look," she said, scooting closer to Daryl, sitting in front of him. "I told Wilhelm what really happened. He's going along with it, went off to 'thank' Shane. But we needed to let someone else in this group know."

"About what?"

Alana bit her lip. "When I told him we have to cover this thing up, he just went off, started rattling off things to say. He had it all planned out."

"So?"

Alana scoffed. "So? So, it isn't second nature to just spew out an elaborate lie unless you do it all the time…That guy that helped him get those supplies for Carl. I think he killed him. When he was telling me what we were going to say and do, it sounded just like when he was telling us what happened to the guy, Otis."

"Yeah, well, Shane would kill anyone, ain't nothing matter to him but his own ass."

"I'm serious." She slapped his knee and he flinched.

"So why tell me?" He rubbed at his knee, as if he was trying to rub away her touch. He kept looking at the entrance to the tent, thinking that if he looked enough Alana would get the picture and leave.

Alana paused. "Rick will brush anything off that we tell him. And everyone's nominated him leader of the pack, why would they listen to anyone else? Why would they listen to me or Wilhelm?"

"Still don't see why ya gotta come in here and tell me."

"Because someone else needs to know what really happened. We need someone else keeping an eye on Shane. We…we need someone else on our side."

"So that what you and your little brother been talking bout?" He tone was accusing.

"Yes, it is. Shane said he had wanted to leave the group, but then Sophia went missing. He thinks, that if Wilhelm and I leave, that we'll take him with us."

"You're leaving?" Daryl asked all too quickly.

"This group is falling apart. If it keeps that way, then yes, we'll leave. I let him think that we would welcome him to come along with us. Truth is, if we decide to leave, we won't be telling anyone. We'll just go."

Dale called out that dinner was ready. Daryl stood up and walked out before she could tell him that they wanted him to go with them if they left.

When his steps faded Alana took in a deep, shaky breath, rubbing her cheeks.

_"You better not be stealing his cot again!"_ Wilhelm shouted at her as he reached the tents. He didn't peer in as he passed by to their tent to drop something off. Alana crawled out and joined him. _"Everything okay?"_ he asked when he saw her.

"Yeah, yeah. You, uh have those pills, I think I've earned another one." Wilhelm laughed and went into their tent for the pill bottle. He came back out with it and a water. He looked over her shoulder towards the camp.

She saw Daryl walking back towards them. He had two plates in hand.

"She's your sister," Daryl told Wilhelm, "has me fetching shit for her, that's your problem." He shoved the plate of food in her hands and sat outside the tent. ""My legs hurt, go get me some food, pretty please.'" Wilhelm laughed at his mocking of Alana.

"At least with food in her mouth she'll shut up," he told Daryl as he left to join the others.

Alana sat down next to Daryl, picking up her crispy squirrel and biting into it.

"Thank you," she mumbled. Looking up she saw the others casually looking over at them. Shane's look was a shadow. He was looking at Daryl, not her. "We'd tell you, if we left."

He stabbed at his potatoes. "Why bother?"

"In case you wanted to come with us." She looked at him, waiting for some sort of reaction. There was none. "Thank you, for bringing the food."

"Yeah, well, only seats left were near Shane. Figured I'd do you a favor." There it was again, the guilt.

Alana laughed. "Well thank you, I appreciate it. He reminds me of those crazy army guys…I don't know what you call them here."

"Jarheads."

"Yeah, those. Sure has the head for it."

"Ugly ass head," Daryl muttered. He sounded nearly vain.

Alana choked on a piece of her food as she started laughing. "Yes, thankfully it doesn't hurt to look at you. At least your nose doesn't look like it's been broken ten times. Can you believe how wide it is?"

Daryl didn't hear anything else she said to him while they ate. He was thinking over what she had said about his face. He found himself rubbing at his face again and again, suddenly very aware of himself. He even grabbed a rag from his tent and wiped at his mouth a couple of times. He became rather paranoid of his face with her sitting next to him.

Dale came by after they were done eating and took their plates; Alana was still yapping away at Daryl. She stopped long enough so that Dale could ask how her leg was doing. He looked at Daryl cautiously while Alana spoke; she said it just felt sore.

After he had walked away Alana looked into the tent before lying down and reaching out for a bottle of water she had spotted. Daryl kept his eyes staring straight ahead. She took a sip and passed it to him.

Without a word he grabbed his towel and started for the house. Alana didn't say anything. He heard her scoot back further into the tent. He wouldn't be surprised if when he came back she was back in his cot.

He was washing his face in the bathroom. As he dried it he stared into the mirror, studying his face. His eyes were small. He tried widening them, but it didn't do much. He just looked silly. His lids were heavy, crows feet at the corners. His scruff was scratchy against his hand; he could feel the threads of the towel get caught on them.

He wanted nothing more than for her to never pay attention to him ever again. He admitted it, he was done feeling pity over her, over what happened to her. He wanted to be done pitying her. He wanted to be done being her errand boy.

Walking back to his tent he stopped as he entered. She was sitting on the cot, clutching his bottle of whiskey. Her eyes were wide with wonder. She looked like a stupid otter clutching it.

"Can I have some?" The bottle was half full.

"Probably taken some already," Daryl said. He stopped for a second unsure where to sit. This was his tent damnit, he should be able to sit wherever he wanted.

"No I haven't," Alana proclaimed adamantly. She turned to place the bottle back in the corner that she had found it in, at the head of the cot, under the right leg.

Daryl huffed and sat down next to her on the cot, pulling the bottle back out and unscrewing the top. He took a swig and handed it to her.

She beamed a smile at him and took the bottle. She took a breath before tilting her head back. Instantly she was coughing, bending over, slapping at Daryl's leg. Daryl didn't have a clue what to do as Alana clenched the material of his pants in her fist. She still held onto the bottle in the other hand.

"What the hell is that! Nail polish remover?" she choked out, still leaning over on him. "Oh my god, I have to get Wilhelm to drink this. Can Wilhelm have a drink?" Daryl nodded quickly, anything to get her off of him. It took everything within him to not yell at her to get off him, to get her out of his tent.

Just like that Alana was out of his tent, calling out to Wilhelm. Moments later she was dragging him into the tent. She took her seat back at Daryl's side. She held the bottle out to Wilhelm who crouched on the ground.

"You have to try this, it's amazing."

Wilhelm raised a brow. "Some how I doubt that," he mumbled. As he lifted the bottle to his mouth he smelt the whiskey and started coughing. Alana began laughing, leaning back over onto Daryl. Wilhelm was laughing between his coughs, looking over at the two. "No thank you," he said, handing the bottle back.

Alana groaned. "I drank it, so you have to too."

Wilhelm eyed the bottle and his sister. "Did she really?" he asked Daryl. When Daryl nodded his head Wilhelm sighed and shook his head. It was like watching someone take their first puff of a cigarette; they try to hold it in, but always end up coughing. Alana laughed louder, leaning further onto Daryl, rocking him back and forth as she pointed and said something to Wilhelm in German.

Wilhelm's face turned red and Daryl couldn't help but laugh as well at seeing the tall German defeated by a bottle of cheap whiskey.

_"Stop laughing!_ It's not funny, stop laughing!" Wilhelm said to them as he thrust the bottle back into Alana's hands and left the tent. "Shut it! I know where you sleep!"

"He never could hold his liquor," Alana mused. "Horrible German." She took the cap from Daryl's hands, his grip on it lasting just a second too long. She screwed the cap back on and reached around him to place the bottle back in its spot. She used his shoulder to pull herself back up. Trying to lean against the tent was impossible, it gave way too much against her weight, and so she leaned against Daryl.

After a few moments Alana pushed herself off of him and slid to the floor. She smoothed out her sleeping bag before taking off her boots.

"Don't you have your own tent?" Daryl asked, a hint of venom in his voice. The brief happy mood was gone.

"It gets dull, sharing the same tiny space with the same person, let alone _him_, I was certain those things would get us with the way he snores. Besides, I'm tiny, I won't take up much space. See?"

It was true. She was rather tiny. Her body was thick, but her height, well, she didn't have much of it.

"Moon ain't even out yet," Daryl said as she laid on her stomach atop the sleeping bag.

"Never said anything about going to bed. Just laying down. That okay with you?" She spotted the book he had been reading earlier and picked it up. She didn't bother reading the title, she just started reading.

When there was no light left to read by she put the book down. Daryl had left and didn't come back till the moon was out. He was unsurprised that she was still there, and yet he wasn't irritated. He wanted to be, but his blood wouldn't boil.

He stood there for a while, unsure of what to do. He would start to turn one way or another then stop. He could just lay down and forget that she was there, go in the house maybe. He could go take Andrea's watch and just stay up there all night. He looked back down at Alana.

Without a word to her he kicked his boots off and laid down on his cot.

Two hours passed by before he removed his shirt under the blankets. He stuffed it under his pillow. He pulled the blankets all the way up to his chin and kept on his back. A small cold front had come in; the air was chilled and the wind could be heard rasping against the tent. Every now and then Alana would shift within the sleeping bag. The material was light; she had a heavier one that she had grabbed for when winter comes. But this current one was cheap, stolen from a Wal-Mart.

With all the noise she was making from constantly moving, Daryl was ready to toss one of his blankets at her. But the rustling all of a sudden increased and he could hear her unzipping the bag. There was the sound of her moving across the tent to his side. There was further unzipping, of the bag. She had completely laid it flat and was pulling it over Daryl. He kept his eyes closed tightly but opened them as soon as she felt him pulling at his blankets.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he hissed at her, pushing himself up and away from her.

"It's cold," she snapped back at him. "Now move over." They tugged back and forth over the blankets.

"Get the fuck outta here!"

He could barely see her in the dark, but as soon as he said those words he could see her face drop. She left her sleeping bag atop of him and stood up, beginning to unzip the tent's entrance.

Daryl panicked. Andrea was on watch tonight. Not T-Dog. She would say something, he just knew it.

"Wait," he whispered. "Just…wait." He reached under his pillow and grabbed his shirt. Hiding under the covers for a moment he put his shirt back on, hoping that the buttons were matched up. "Alright."

He began to panic again when he heard nothing. Slowly Alana zipped the tent back up and came back to the cot. She felt around in the dark for the edge. Daryl pulled the blankets back and moved to the side to make room for her. He tensed when he felt her hands on him, trying to find her way. She pressed a hand to his side as she lowered herself down next to him. His grip tightened on the blankets when she turned herself around, her back to him. She grabbed his hand and pulled the blankets back up. Though she didn't show any sign, he knew that she must have felt the large scar on his side.

He laid there, eyes open, for a while longer. She fell back to sleep in no time. But it wasn't that easy. Just when he thought he would be able to get through the night she rolled back onto his chest. She tensed when her shoulder pressed into him.

"Sorry," she mumbled, pushing herself up and laying half on top of him, a leg hooked between his. Her hand clung onto his shirt and she burrowed her head under the blankets and into his shoulder.

Her breath was tickling him. With a grunt he pulled her up. She started turning her head, trying to figure out what was going on. "You're gonna suffocate under there," he told her. She fought against him and pulled the blankets back over her and pushed herself back down.

"You better be gone by morning," he muttered.

Alana heard him and poked her head up, "Yes, would hate to ruin your reputation."

He had nothing to say to that.

His arms were getting tired. He had them up next to his head. When her breath evened out again he lowered first his left arm, resting it at his side. He lowered his right arm, resting it atop the blankets where her shoulder was. When she made no movement he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. He started looking around, as if someone could possibly be watching him, before rubbing circles on her good shoulder. He couldn't say why he was doing it. Couldn't think of a reason to stop either. Why hadn't he just said he would sleep on the ground?

He wasn't sure if it really happened or if he'd just imagined it, but with a quickness he turned his head and kissed her brow. First proper kiss and he wasn't even sure it had actually happened. Did that sort of thing even count? What the hell was he doing anyways?

He awoke from time to time during the rest of the night. The last time he woke up before the sun came up was because Alana was slipping out from under the blankets. As she turned her head away from him her lips grazed his chest; the fabric of his shirt dulled the sensation, but still he shivered. Shivered, not flinched. She left the tent in near silence. He turned completely on his side and faced the entrance. She had zipped it back up and taken her sleeping bag with her. He was suddenly bitter. Some five minutes later he heard someone coming. He quickly turned onto his back. Keeping his eyes closed he heard her as she came back in. She must have just gone to use the bathroom. He suddenly felt stupid. She had taken the sleeping bag with her to keep warm. Softly she laid it on top of Daryl and slid back onto the cot. Using her arms to hold herself up she maneuvered herself into a comfortable position above him.

"You going to help me or not?" she whispered. "Or should I just collapse on you?"

It caught Daryl off guard, that she was aware that he was awake. Apparently he took too long to respond to her and so she unceremoniously plopped herself down on him. It knocked the wind out of him and he instantly started pushing her up so he could breathe. She was quietly giggling into the blankets.

"You're fucking crazy," he muttered as he helped her back into the crook of his arm. He twitched a bit when her legs rubbed against his.

"Oh yeah? Who's the one who let the crazy person in their tent?"

Daryl had no response for her.

When he woke in the morning he found his arms under the blankets, gripping her to him and his chin resting atop her head. The wind had died down, but the air was still chilly. He tried shaking her to wake her up. He tried shifting under her and ended up knocking her stitched knee slightly. That woke her up with a start, her body tensing as she reached for the knee.

"Sorry," Daryl said in a rush, trying to pull himself up, away from her.

"It's fine," Alana mumbled in a sleepy tone. "Wasn't expecting to be woken that way is all," she said in a light joking tone.

Daryl asked the question before he even had time to think of it first. "What were you expecting?" He was sure she could feel his body stiffen suddenly.

She laid her head back down in the crook of his arm and clung to him lightly. "Breakfast in bed would be nice," she told him. "An actual bed would be nice." She patted his chest lithely. "This'll do for now." Dary was unsure if she meant him or the cot. She quickly, out of nowhere, popped her head up. "Do I get to drive the truck today?"

"Guess so." Daryl was thinking it wasn't such a great idea, he valued his life, when he saw something moving under the blankets. It was his right arm. He had been rubbing her back, tracing over the scar that ran down it. He stilled his hand hastily.

Wilhelm came walking by outside the tent then, he shouted something in German to them. Daryl used the moment to remove his hand from her skin; he slid his other hand away from her as well.

"What did he say?" Daryl asked her, pushing himself up on his elbows.

Rubbing at her eyes she told him, "He said to stop being lazy whores and get up, the whole camp is awake and is waiting on us." At those words Daryl tensed. "What?" He quickly got out of the cot, reaching for his boots. "What?" She sat up, shoving his shoulder as he put his boots on. "What is your problem?"

He looked like he could murder her. He pointed randomly towards where the other tents were set up. "I don't need those people talking crap about me!" His face was close to hers.

"Seriously, what is your problem? Why should you care if they think there's actually something between us?"

The words hit him with a force. In that instant he felt like a complete fool. He hadn't even allowed himself to acknowledge his attention to Alana; his actions towards her in the past few hours. He just allowed it to happen, marking it up to being because he felt that he owed her something. It was a relief, to know that whatever the others were thinking about them wasn't true though, wasn't real for her. But that relief meant nothing to the anger he suddenly felt. And the strange jealousy, emptiness, that followed. He wanted to feel that relief, but he couldn't find the way to bring it back. Next thing he knew she'd be telling him how it was all about survival; he was just a means to an end for her. Just like Shane.

From the shadow his face took on, Alana knew she had said something horribly wrong, but there was no taking it back. She should have looked closer. If she had looked closer she would have seen. But she had stopped looking the moment she knew she could trust him.

He picked up a clean shirt.

"I want you outta my fucking tent."

And so he left the tent and left her.

When Alana eventually came out, Daryl had already left the farm, out to look for Sophia.

He had gone on his own.

He had taken one of Hershel's horses.


	18. Chapter 18

**Trying to keep up with the updates Hope you all enjoy this chapter. **

**Also, for anyone wondering what Wilhelm looks like, I always picture Thomas Kretschmann. I don't have any examples of what Alana looks like, but if anyone does let me know! **

**Will try to have the next chapter up next week.**

**As usual, anything in italics is being spoken in German.**

Alana crawled out from the tent, feigning sleepiness, rubbing at her eyes. She smiled through a yawn at Dale who was sitting at the campfire. He waved back. Trying to smack down the wrinkles in her clothes Alana headed to her own tent. She plucked the bottle of painkillers from the medical pack and made her way over to join Dale. Looking over at the farmhouse she could see Wilhelm sitting in one of the rocking chairs, chatting with Carl. The boy had exerted himself too much, to his mother's liking, and so he was, in his viewpoint, banished to sitting around all day. Wilhelm felt partly responsible, having let him play along with the soccer ball. The boy was still recovering his strength and running (though slowly he did) through the fields was of no help to him.

"You're up late," Dale commented in a regular tone, as Alana sat down with him. She picked up a bottle of water that was laying in a vacant chair and used it to wash down her pills. Dale eyed the pill bottle in her hand. She held it up and shook it.

"Just something to kill the pain," she told him, nodding at her knee. "Don't worry, I won't start seeing purple bunnies or anything absurd." Dale laughed at her words.

"Well, that's a relief." He didn't bother to look around for any leftover food. He told her that she was late for breakfast. She waved a hand in the air.

"Never was much of a morning person. I'll just eat a bit more during lunch. So, where has everyone gone off to?"

Dale ticked everyone off the list in his mind as he told her. "T-Dog and Jimmy went off in one direction. Rick and Shane, another, and Daryl took one of Hershel's horses, think he said he was going to go up some ridge, get a better view of everything I suppose." As he mentioned Daryl lastly, Dale watched Alana's face, her composure, waiting for something to slip and reveal itself. While they had been waiting for Daryl and Alana to wake up earlier, T-Dog had told the camp that a previous night Alana had stolen his sleeping cot and that she likely had done it again. When the others began to make comments, Wilhelm chimed in that the cot was better for her to sleep on due to her shoulder. T-Dog continued that Daryl would probably be angry as hell when he woke up, having to sleep on the ground. Wilhelm said that Alana wasn't one for sharing. At that the camp laughed lightly it died away when they realized that meant Daryl would be cranky. And sure enough, when Daryl emerged from the tent it seemed that even hell would have moved out of his path.

Alana's face remained neutral, betraying nothing, if there was anything to betray, as Dale thought. He didn't have a clue what was going on between the two, but he suspected that at least on Alana's part it was innocent. He had quickly learned that she and Wilhelm were of the nature of putting emotions to the side in exchange for survival. Or at least that's partly what he hoped. He found himself once again playing the grandfather part.

He watched as Alana took the brace off her knee and stared at the stitches. She tossed the brace on the chair as she stood up and headed for the house. "Suppose I better go have Hershel take a look. You have watch later today?" she asked as she turned around. Dale said yes. "Want company?" He again said yes.

Alana nodded at Wilhelm as she headed into the house; he was engulfed in conversation with Carl. He was talking about his days in the army.

She waited in the dining room for Hershel; she had caught Maggie as she walked in and she had gone to get her father.

"I see you've taken that brace off," Hershel commented as he walked in. He beckoned her into the kitchen where the lighting was better. She bent her knee up. "I'd go ahead and keep it on for the time being. At least until we can take those stitches out. Best get used to wearing that thing. Especially at night, more prone to bending your knee up then." Alana nodded. "How's the shoulder?"

Alana turned around. Hershel was able to just pull at the collar and look down the shirt. "Hasn't been itching too much, do my best to not mess with it too."

"Mhm hmm. Don't think you need my help with it anymore, just keep it clean. And be sure to change your clothing as well. Try to get some sun on it, it'll toughen up the skin."

"Thank you, normally I could take care of it myself, but can't exactly turn my head all the way around," Alana said with a smile. Hershel walked over to the sink and filled himself a glass of water. Alana declined an offer for one of her own.

"Yes, I've heard you have some skills. Medic, in the army, was it?"

"Yes sir," Alana told him. "Only four years though. Spent most of that time in the medical hall. Guess you would say it was like being a family doctor. I at least know the basics though and it has helped my brother and I along the way."

"Helped these people as well, I hear," Hershel replied, in relation to T-Dog. He was looking out the kitchen windows where he could see Lori and Carol doing more laundry.

"They were in need of help, and so we offered it, just as you have."

Hershel sighed. "How well do you know these people?" His tone echoed that he was looking for something to hold against the group.

Alana shifted her weight and leaned her back against the kitchen counter. "Just as much as you do. Or just as little, however you want to look at it." She paused as she thought of what else to say. "In the army, we're trained how to assess any given situation." She looked out the window. "There's always one, at least one, that will ruin everything for the rest." With that Alana excused herself and left the house, coming out just in time to hear Wilhelm tell Carl of the time his drill sergeant dyed all his underclothes pink for not having his shoelaces tied evenly.

Dale had left the campfire area, probably gone to the RV. Alana picked up her brace and put it back on. She went to her tent where she looked for a new shirt to wear. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it earlier, as Hershel had said, properly exposing the wound on her should in the sunlight. It would at least dry the skin out a bit. It wouldn't be much, but it was something. With exasperation she grabbed a clean sports bra and headed back for the house. All her tank tops were either too big or too tight, either covering up the wound or cutting into it. If the others had a problem with her walking about in a sports bra they would just have to deal with it. At least Shane wasn't there; that gave Alana some relief.

After giving her shoulder a nice pat down with a wet towel Alana gingerly put on the sports bra. She wouldn't be able to cut one of the straps off if she intended to walk around in it. It took her a moment of standing there in the mirror, rolling her shoulders, before she got use to the feel of the strap against the wound. She had lost weight since the outbreak and so thankfully it was just a bit loose. She looked down at her waist. She felt indecent in the shorts. They hung down lower than she was comfortable with, at least with no shirt to cover it up. She'd have to find a belt or some rope.

She left the house, dirty shirt slung over her good shoulder. She paused and asked Carl if he'd like to practice some soccer tricks with her. He told her of his banishment to the house. She began taking off her watch and handed it to him. "How about you keep time for me then, I'll tell you the names of the moves, and you can be my coach." He liked the idea. "Where's the ball?" she asked Wilhelm. He had placed it in the tent. He jogged off to bring it back. He was planning on joining in on the practice.

Dale watched from atop the RV as Carl shouted out random orders to Alana and Wilhelm. After a certain point Wilhelm went and collected a few bottles and set them up on either end of the house, as goals. Carl cheered them on as the brother and sister played against each other. Wilhelm took it easy on Alana since she was a bit slower than usual in moving. She did her best to use her right leg as much as possible, to get her strength back. There was a cheer from Carl and from the RV when Alana made her first goal. She had eyed the distance to Wilhelm's goal and had decided to just kick the ball and hope for the best. The best happened. After that goal she became cocky, jeering at Wilhelm in German.

In truth the soccer match wasn't much to watch. It was a short distance between the goals and with only two players, there wasn't much action to be had. And the morning heat easily got to them. A draw was called after a half hour of playing; both had scored 6 goals. Alana grabbed one of the water bottles and poured a bit of the water on her shoulder. Wilhelm sat back down with Carl while Alana walked off with the soccer ball, still kicking it from foot to foot, wanting to stay up on her feet.

Heading over to the RV, she asked Dale if water from the well was needed. Water, of course, not from the well the walker had been in. They had placed a board over that one. Lucky for Alana, they were in need of water. So happily said she would bring some.

Alana gathered the empty water bottles and also buckets, three of them, and began the trek to a different well, not too far from the barn.

"_Where are you going?"_ Wilhelm asked her.

"_We need water," _she told him. He jumped up and said he would help her; there was no way she'd be able to carry it all back. Her plan was to just fill the water bottles and carry them in the buckets back, but even then that would be a difficult task to accomplish. Carl asked if he could come. Wilhelm hesitated, but Alana answered. "You can pump the water, how about that?" Carl agreed.

As they walked Carl took one of the buckets with the empty bottles in it. Once they reached the well he eagerly stood at the pump, ready to help out. Wilhelm held the bottles under the faucet and Alana helped Carl with the pump. It took a bit of muscle to work it and Alana knew they would hear from Lori if they let Carl do it by himself. One by one the bottles were filled and placed neatly in the buckets.

Alana noticed Wilhelm look up from time to time, turning around to look at the barn as he screwed a cap on a bottle. When two buckets were filled with bottles he stood up fully.

"You two carry these back, I'll finish up the rest." He handed four bottles for Carl to carry while the two buckets Alana would carry. Carl made no argument, he was just pleased that they were allowing him to help out. As they walked away Wilhelm looked over again to the barn.

Rounding the house, Alana and Carl ran into Lori. She instantly asked where he had been. Alana stood up for him.

"He wanted to help us get water. He helped me pump and Wilhelm let him carry some bottles." She put an emphasis on that he had helped her, letting Lori know that she had done most of the work. Looking him over, Lori could see that he hadn't been sweating, hadn't been overexerting himself, and so she was pleased with Alana's explanation.

"Alright. Take some of those to our tent, ok?" she told him.

"We will," Alana told her before they continued on their way. The four bottles Carl carried were dropped off at their tent and the rest were placed at the campfire.

They ran into Glenn on the way. When Alana said hello to him he nearly shook his bones loose replying back. Alana only shook her head once they had passed. She was past trying to figure him out. And she didn't doubt she'd soon find out what was bothering Glenn. She could tell that he wasn't one for keeping secrets. He was terrible at hiding the fact that he had seen some action from Maggie. For all their sakes, she hoped he could keep it from Hershel.

Wilhelm joined her at the campfire with the third bucket of water bottles. Carl had been called back to the house. Lori wanted Hershel to check his stitches. Judging from the time that had gone by, it looked like he would be staying in there for while; likely on his mother's orders.

Wilhelm didn't stay long sitting at the campfire with his sister.

"_What's wrong?"_ Alana asked him when she saw that look on his face. She knew that look. It was a look he only had when he felt he was at a lost for control over things.

He knew she would see right through the lie, but he also knew she wouldn't question his answer. _"Nothing."_ He tapped the armrest of his chair. _"I'm going to have a chat with Hershel."_

Feeling that she had nothing else to do—she was after all, still injured and was in need of resting—Alana made a stop at the tent to grab her rifle and binoculars and then headed for the RV, to join Dale.

"You made it over here rather quickly," he joked.

"Not much to do when the world's come to an end," Alana said.

Dale made no comment or gave any look at the fact that she was just in her sports bra. Little did Alana know, the whole camp was used to Shane walking around without a shirt, chest puffed out.

Time went by while the two sat atop the RV, each taking to one end and watching over their section of land. One or the other would at one point say something. The other would comment back. They'd possibly go back and forth for a few sentences before falling back into silence. The sun slowly rose in the sky, hidden only for a few minutes behind wisps of clouds. There wasn't enough of a breeze to be called a breeze and so the clouds stayed in their places in the sky though they provided little shade. The sun would find its way through the cracks.

Carol came out around noon from the RV and asked if either of them would like lunch. They both of course said yes, and so she went off to the house to prepare them more ramen noodles. Alana has asked if after it was ready if she could place hers in the freezer for a bit, to get it nice and cold. Without a second thought Dale asked for the same. Neither favored the idea of eating a hot bowl of noodles under the sun.

Alana looked over at Dale as he watched Carol walk away.

"She's preparing herself," Alana told him. Dale nodded in agreement. Everyone had noticed how Carol was returning back to herself, to joining the others, helping with the chores, carrying on. Everyone kept their opinions to themselves. Some thought it was good for her, that she was trying to return to normality again. Whatever that was in this world now. Others felt that she was being cold, carrying on how she was, as if she didn't have a daughter at all. What they all didn't realize though, was that she hadn't forgotten. Keeping herself busy was the only way for her to keep from losing her mind, from being swallowed up by her distraught.

While they were eating their cold bowls of noodles Dale brought up the topic of Daryl.

"I don't mean to pry, but, can I ask what there is between you and Daryl?" He asked the question as innocently as he possibly could, even going so far as to make it sound like he didn't think there was anything between them. When Alana didn't answer right away he said, "It's just that, I think we thought that anyone who, invited themselves into his tent, would be found dead the next morning."

Alana laughed. "I'm sure he wanted to kill me the first time, but didn't want to deal with Wilhelm afterwards."

"But, that's not just it." Dale sighed. "Can I just ask, what caused him to come out of that tent this morning like, like a bat out of hell? He barely stayed long enough to say where he was going."

She shrugged, not entirely sure what to say. "I think that he had…certain thoughts. And when I said…certain things, those thoughts changed." Dale eyed her suspiciously, those bushy brows of his arched. "I know," she chuckled. "Even I know that's hard to believe. I'm still trying to figure it out. What goes on in that head of his?" she asked, tapping her fork in the bowl.

Dale didn't have an answer for her. He only had advice.

"Daryl, isn't one for words. And when he does have words, let's just say he doesn't shower you in compliments. Don't tell him I said this, but I think what that boy needs is a hug."

They both began snickering before they gave way to fits of laughter. They both emoted being amused by the thought, but once the laughter died down, they couldn't help but think that Daryl truly did need a hug. Pity crept in.

Alana took Dale's bowl from him, intent on going back to her tent after washing the bowls. He stopped her as she began her way down the ladder.

"Maybe you should talk with him when he gets back. As a friend. I'm not sure how many of those he's had."

Alana had been reading the book she had taken from Daryl's tent. It was called _Kindred;_ a strange cross between time travel and slavery. It was an interesting enough read; Alana had always had an interest in the 'nerdy.' If it hadn't been for the time traveling bit she probably wouldn't have read the book. It reminded her of _Doctor Who_, if only in the slightest way. Father had loved the show. He would drag Alana into the living room to watch it when the series was rebooted. It delighted her to see how his face would light up at the first sound of the theme music. It became their routine. Even when she was away they'd call each other as soon as a new episode aired to discuss it.

The tent's entrance was unzipped and Wilhelm slowly came in, taking to a corner and sitting down. He waited till Alana had closed the book before speaking.

"How did the talk with Hershel go?"

"_He says that Shane has decided that the others need to know how to properly shoot guns. Apparently he plans on taking a group out somewhere tomorrow and teaching them."_

"…_with what guns? Surly not ours."_

"_No, of course not. They're taking their own. I'm sure he'll ask though, if they can use some of ours, may even ask for us to help since we actually have experience. But we will say no. I won't have us wasting our bullets nor will I have us using their guns to teach them. I need to find out where exactly he intends to take them." _

Alana watched Wilhelm. _"They'll hear it, won't they?" _

Wilhelm agreed. "I'm surprised we haven't had any trouble yet, what with the shot they fired off at the well. _But if they keep shooting off rounds…_"

Alana thought back on the herd of walkers they had seen on the road. If one of similar size came upon the farm there was no chance of them surviving it. They'd have to leave. And without much time to pack away their belongings. Then they'd have no choice but to run around in circles for a few days to get the walkers off their tracks; there was no running off in a straight line, those things would eventually catch up right when they thought they were safe again. That was the problem with the group, Alana thought, they saw the farm as being safe. It wasn't. It was just safer than being out on the road.

"_We should tidy up,"_ Alana said, looking around in their tent. It was a bit of a mess. Clothes strew across the floor, bottles of water and packets of food tossed around. _"If we need to leave quickly, it would be best to keep our things ready. We won't have any time to spare."_

Wilhelm agreed. _"I'll talk with Rick when he gets back, about the shooting lessons. Hopefully I can talk them out of it. I doubt it, but it's worth a try. If they were smart, they'd find the nearest town with a hunting store and raid it for crossbows. Daryl has the right idea, arrows don't make any noise. That's what they should be arming themselves with. Guns should be their last resort."_

"_Maybe if there was another military base nearby," _Alana suggested, _"we could search there for more silencers." _

"_It'd likely be overrun with those things," _Wilhelm told her, shaking his head. He looked over at her. "It's a good idea, just probably not likely to play out in our favor." Remembering what Carol had told him as he was leaving the house, he told Alana, "Carol and Lori are going to make dinner for everyone, in Hershel's kitchen. We get to eat inside tonight. So be sure to clean up beforehand."

"You want to go check the highway?" Alana asked. Wilhelm could tell by her tone that she wasn't exactly asking. Though it sounded strange, she was bored, here on the farm. In a way, she missed being out there, just the two of them, constantly having to sleep with one eye open, sometimes both. There on the farm, it was becoming easy to let their guard slip. Wilhelm felt the same way. After what had happened the day before, they both knew they needed to find some way to keep their guard up and if that meant heading out each day just to check the highway for Sophia then that's the way it was.

Wilhelm took the opportunity Alana offered and they both left the tent, gathering what supplies they would need. He already had a plan in place. They would stop before they reached the main road and get out, check up and down the road to make sure no one was coming, before heading out further. They'd take every precaution possible. There was no want of a repeat of the day before.

As they were making their way to the truck they passed by the front of the house. Andrea was sitting in one of the chairs, snapping off the ends of green beans. She didn't look exactly thrilled about it. Next to her foot was a basket of potatoes and on top a peeler for them. She asked where they were going. Wilhelm said to check the highway for Sophia and Andrea's face took on a look of envy.

"Want some help?" Wilhelm asked, nodding at the green beans. He didn't give her a chance to reply. _"Help her, I'll take Dale with me. Don't bother peeling the potatoes, they taste better with the skins on them." _With that Wilhelm walked on to the truck and got in. He pulled up next to the RV and called out to Dale. He was inside; Glenn was on top taking watch. After a few words Dale went back inside to grab his shotgun and joined Wilhelm in the truck.

The whole time Alana stood in front of the porch, watching him. He had taken her rifle and pack. Looking over at Andrea she huffed. "So much fun being ordered around, isn't it?" she asked with sarcasm.

Andrea chuckled with irony as Alana joined her and took a handful of green beans, snapping off the ends. They tossed the ends in one bucket and the centers in another. Andrea eyed the basket of potatoes with distaste.

"Leave the skins on them," Alana said.

"Can't, Carol wants to make mashed potatoes."

"So? They taste better with the skins on. If they want the skins off so badly they can peel them themselves," Alana remarked. Andrea couldn't agree more.

"Is it just you two, no other siblings?" Andrea asked after awhile of silence, only the _snap snap_ of the green beans filling their ears.

Alana nodded. "Just us, although I was a bit of a shock. First girl born in the family in five generations."

Andrea laughed. "So you grew up in a house of testosterone?"

"Yup, all the men went into military service. A sort of rite of passage I suppose. All I ever knew was playing with the boys, so when the time came I enlisted as well. It was all my family knew, so it was all I knew."

"Do you regret it, not doing something else? Something you wanted?"

Alana thought for a moment. "Well, not now. It's kept me alive this long." Andrea agreed. "What did you do?"

"I was a lawyer."

"What kind of cases did you take?"

"Civil rights."

"Did you enjoy it?"

Andrea didn't have to take a moment to think on it. "I suppose I did. When I won, I enjoyed it," she joked. "So, you were a doctor, in the army?"

"For a time, yes. Then I transferred over to go run around with the boys, with my brother."

They were reaching the bottom of the green beans.

"Do you know…what it is?" She didn't have to be specific, Alana knew what she was asking.

"I don't know. Viral or bacterial. But viral…that would require live cells in order to replicate. And these things, we don't know if they're alive in some way, what's making them get up and move around."

"That scientist we met at the CDC, he showed us this video. It was of his wife." Alana recalled it, Dale had told her of it. "The, the brain stem lit up after the person died."

Alana thought on it. "I'm not sure. The brain stem being reactivated, I don't know what role it would play, gets them up and moving, but why? Viral would make sense, seeing as how you turn if you are bitten. That shows that the…infection is in the bodily fluids. So like HIV. But even then, that would mean these things are alive in some way or else the virus wouldn't survive. Could also be in the blood. Or it could be a bacteria, causing some sort of new disease. If these things _are_ dead, then bacteria would explain it. But what I don't get, why do they come after us?"

"They're hungry?" Andrea offered.

Alana shook her head. They had finished the green beans. "But why? Why does tearing us up and eating us sustain them? How does it sustain them? What benefits does it pose for them? It's…okay, it's silly, but just go along with it. Vampires." Andrea tried not to smile. "Stop that, seriously, just hear me out. Why do the vampires always drink blood in the stories?"

"It keeps them young."

"Exactly. The blood sustains them, keeps them from…fading away. Like in Dracula, the blood is life. But the walkers, I don't recall ever seeing one rejuvenate after munching on our guts, have you?"

"So…you don't know that it is?" Andrea asked again, defeated.

Alana shook her head. "No, I don't. But if there was a point in gambling, I'd bet my money that whatever it is, it's in the blood. The infection spreads, once you're bitten, likely makes its way up to the brain, shutting down the organs along the way. I bet…if you were…bitten on the leg, if we cut it off—right away—you wouldn't turn into one of them."

"Not much good, having one leg."

Alana chuckled. "Not really. Better than being dead though."

Andrea found that she couldn't argue with that.

They took the green beans and potatoes back into the house. When Lori stared at the basket of unpeeled potatoes Andrea told her that they would taste better with the skins on them. And with that she and Alana left house. They'd have to wait till dinner to see if the skins were left on or not.

Rick and Shane returned to the farmhouse. T-Dog and Jimmy followed soon after. Neither pair had found any trace of Sophia. Of course the only one out of the four who actually knew how to track was Jimmy and even then he wasn't as near as good as Daryl. He had picked up on some tracks from a deer though, but was unable to keep the trail. Perhaps Daryl would come across it. Alana hoped she would. She was still waiting on him to bring back Bambi for her.

Alana was now walking around with a large wifebeater of Wilhelm's on. When she had noticed Shane looking her way, over by the tents, she went to put it on. She had then gone into the house to clean up. She wiped herself down with a wet towel and combed her hair out. It was a strange bob now. The hair on the top was shorter than what fell along the sides since she had had it in the ponytail when she cut it. She ruffled her hands through it. It reminded her of those peculiar musicians in Japan, except she didn't need any hair products to make it stick out in all directions.

Dale and Wilhelm had been back for a while now; had found nothing on the highway. Wilhelm told her how useful Dale had been to him, he waited patiently while Wilhelm went about "playing soldier." The two of them were currently over by the RV and so she headed over to join them. Andrea was on top of the RV. It looked like she was talking to them. Alana caught the end of their conversation, something about Andrea wanting to help out on the farm, wanting to protect it. Alana chuckled to herself. Woman would have to learn how to shoot that gun first.

"Walker!" Andrea shouted suddenly, looking through her binoculars. They were Dale's.

In an hectic commotion, Rick, Shane, and T-Dog began running out towards the field, yelling at everyone else to stay back. Rick as yelling that Hershel was to handle any walkers on the land, but the others didn't listen. Alana turned to Wilhelm and he nodded. Alana took off after the others, even with her bad knee she easily caught up and even passed T-Dog and Rick. Wilhelm was turning to run to their tent and grab his own binoculars; they had better range. He hesitated when he saw Andrea holding up her gun.

Dale was telling her to put it down. To let the others take care of it.

"Andrea, stop!" Wilhelm told her, moving back to the RV. "You're too far away, you'll one of them."

"I can hit it from here," she said as she laid down on the RV and took aim.

As Rick and the others reached the walker, they saw that it was Daryl and each of them paused. Except Alana. Rick reached out and tried to stop her from going any closer. Rick and Shane had their guns raised at him.

"He wouldn't have come back if he was bitten," Alana said and snapped her arm away from Rick, stepping towards Daryl. He didn't see her, all he saw was Rick pointing his gun at him.

"Bout time ya pointed that thing at me," he snapped at him. "Go ahead, shoot me."

Alana looked at his side and saw the blood. Dread filled her. "Daryl, what happened?" she asked, taking another step to him, a hand stretched out towards his side. "Come on, let's get you inside, I'll clean it up for you. Come on."

Daryl swiveled his body towards her, looking at her. He had seen her, running through the field towards him, outpacing the others even. He hadn't allowed himself to think anything of it. He did take notice that she was the closest to him and still taking steps closer. He felt himself growing weak all of a sudden. It had taken more energy than he had just to make it back to the farm. He reached an arm out, to sling around her shoulders and balance him. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground.

"No!" The cry was repeated until it reached Andrea on top the RV. The smile on her face was quickly wiped away. Wilhelm was pounding on the RV.

"_You idiot! Fucking idiot! What's wrong with you!" _he was yelling at her. He took off running after the group.

Daryl came to for a moment to see Alana and Rick crouched next to him. Alana was holding his head up, looking at the left side.

"I was just kidding," he muttered before passing out.

"Help me," Alana said, trying to get him up. Shane came forward and with Rick picked Daryl up and began dragging him back to the house.

Wilhelm ran up to them. He looked at Daryl's head and began running ahead of them, back to the house to tell them to get a room ready for him.

As Andrea came running to them, muttering "oh God" over and over, T-Dog picked something up and held it for everyone to see.

"Guys, isn't this Sophia's?"

He held Sophia's doll. Everyone turned and looked at Daryl. They began moving even faster.

When they reached the house, Wilhelm was holding the door open. They dragged Daryl into a spare room. Wilhelm had brought in his medical pack. He began pulling things out, setting them on top of a dresser. A pot of water was being boiled by Patricia, to sterilize it. Alana immediately went to the bathroom, washing her hands vigorously, and came back into the room. Wilhelm did the same. He then pulled out a box of gloves from the pack and handed a pair to Alana and Hershel.

Hershel ushered everyone out of the room as Alana and Wilhelm snapped on the gloves.

Hershel cut Daryl's wifebeater down the center and tossed it to the side. "Looks like an arrow wound," he said, inspecting the holes on the front and back of his left side. "Must have pulled it out it. Let's clean the area and then I'll check and make sure nothing was left behind inside."

Wilhelm cleaned the wound while Alana grabbed the necessary supplies needed to stitch him back up. Hershel was giving him a shot of antibiotics. After the wound was clean he took a look and said that it was clear to stitch him up.

"Won't be good if he wakes up," Wilhelm said. He was right. Both men turned to Alana. "We'll hold him down while you do the stitching."

They stayed at attention while Alana began stitching up the wounds. Daryl began to stir as she started work on the wound on his front side. He shook his head and opened his eyes.

"Just hold on, almost done," she told him, looking at him quickly. He followed her eyes back down to his side and instantly began to struggle. Wilhelm and Hershel put their weight down on him. He continued to struggle, trying to shove them off and shouting at them.

"Get the fuck off me! Get outta here!" He kept shoving Alana away from him and trying to roll away, reaching for anything to cover himself up with. He felt part of the weight leave him as Wilhelm stood up and rushed over to the pack. Daryl quickly tried to get out of the bed, but Alana stood in his way, pushing him back down. She threatened that she would sit on him if she had to. In that moment of shock, a wet towel was clamped down on this face. Daryl fought back as Wilhelm held the towel to his face roughly. His eyes fluttered and then he passed out.

Wilhelm scooted off of the bed, breathing calmly. Hershel was staring at the towel in his hand. Wilhelm held it up.

"Chloroform. Thought it would come in handy at some point."

With Daryl passed out again, Alana finished the stitches. After cleaning up, the other two left as she took first watch over him. She sat in a corner, staring over at the scars that covered Daryl's chest and abdomen. Now he had another to add to the collection of stories. When she saw his chest rise with his breathing, she remembered to breathe as well.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is a short bit, but I didn't want to try and add to it, so it gets to be its own chapter. Pretty much just Alana and Daryl. **

**Enjoy!**

She saw the rapid movement behind his eyelids and then the slow stretching and tensing of his muscles. As quietly as possible Alana stood from her chair and made for the door. Daryl began to jolt in the bed, then stopped, holding himself in place. He watched as Alana snuck through the door, her back disappearing as she closed it. Never once did she turn and look back at him. It did little to comfort him though, no matter how long or little she had been in that room with him, she had seen the scars. He looked side to side, searching for his shirt. He saw it, crumpled up in a small trash bin. Heavy footsteps were coming towards his door. He began to tense again, but relaxed when he realized it couldn't be Alana. She must have gone and gotten Wilhelm. Or Rick or Shane. Maybe even Hershel.

Wilhelm came into the room. He held the door open and was followed by Rick and Shane. Rick had a map in a hand. As the door closed he could see Alana standing out in the hallway. The men began asking him questions; where he had found the doll, had he seen any sign of Sophia. And they asked what exactly had happened to him. He answered their questions with a hint of annoyance. Rick as taking in his words with a fervent hope behind his eyes, as if he _needed_ this new bit of _hope_ to believe that Sophia was still alive. Shane hunched his shoulders, shaking his head from time to time. He was thinking none of this was worth it, trying to find Sophia. Wasn't worth losing another one of their own. Wilhelm stood against wall while Rick and Shane looked over the map with Daryl as he pointed out where he had been and where Sophia could possibly be. What annoyed Daryl about the German was how he just stood there, a void in the room. He showed no reaction to the fact that Daryl had narrowed down where Sophia was likely hiding out.

As Rick and Shane left the room, Wilhelm stayed behind long enough to speak with Daryl.

"Hershel says it's best you stay in here for the night. Placement of the wounds will make moving about a bit difficult." As he left the room Daryl heard him say something to Alana in German.

Daryl laid there in bed, slightly propped up on his good side still. He rubbed a bit at his head. He had to admit he was looking forward to sleeping in an actual bed, for at least one night. Bit by bit, he began pushing the covers down so that he could get under them. Hopefully no one would come in and bug him; if they did, he could at least pretend to be sleeping. If not, he still had those sheets as some sort of shield. Especially if Alana came back in. He'd never be able to explain it, even to himself, but he was uncomfortable with the female sex seeing him, his scars. Seemed like they had either of two reactions when seeing them. They would squeal, exclaim how they're ugly, ask about how he got them, and just all around make that face cats do when they sniff another cat's ass; breathing through their mouth. Or they would coo all over him, treating him like a child that's just bumped their bottom on the ground. Women just seemed unable to just let some things be and keep their mouths shut.

He was snapped from his thoughts when he caught himself becoming drowsy. That old geezer must have given him some sort of painkillers. The next jolt came when there was a knock at the door. An instant later it creaked open and Alana poked her head in, staring at the ground as she walked in and closed the door. She held up a hand; she had gone and picked up a clean shirt from Daryl's tent. Likely on orders from Wilhelm. She had even folded it up. Placing it at the foot of the bed Alana leaned against the bed frame, running a finger over the worn carvings in it.

"How stupid are you?"

The question caught Daryl off guard. Was she actually calling him stupid? Who the hell was she to ask if he was stupid? He began to retort, but she cut him off.

"Why did you go out there on your own? Rick said no one goes out alone."

"Y'all just slow me down."

"Bullshit." Daryl was surprised at the sudden frustration in her voice. She pushed herself off from the bed frame and headed for the door.

"What you doing?"

She cracked the door open, staring down at the floor. "Don't know." As she closed the door behind her she turned around just enough to ask him, "What you doing?"

He was thankful that she had left. He wasn't entirely sure he had an answer for her that he was comfortable giving.

Evening came soon enough and Daryl still found himself laying in bed, back to the door, staring randomly just to the side of the window. He wasn't happy with the answer he had come up with to Alana's question. He continuously tried to deny it, to find some way around it, but always found himself back where he started. Simply admitting it was much easier than trying to run these circles around it. But he would only admit it in the simplest of ways, in the least amount of words.

He cared for her.

Nothing else. He wouldn't say that he liked her. To do so required more emotions and connections than he was willing to allow. Caring, it was different. He could care for her just as he cared for his brother. Like he cared about protecting the farm.

He cared for her, but nothing more. He wouldn't even tell her that he cared. Why would he? As far as he could tell, she didn't have an inkling of the same feeling towards him. And why should she? Why would she?

There was a knock at the door and in came Alana, a plate of food and a drink in hand. She set them down on the nightstand as Daryl pulled the sheet back up. She told him that Carol and the others had made dinner for Hershel's family and that everyone was eating. It was Carol who had asked her to take the food to him.

When she continued to stand there Daryl said, "Shouldn't you head back before they eat all the food?" He wouldn't tell her she could stay. No matter what.

As Alana turned to leave he saw her flinch slightly. Instantly his eyes went to her knee. It was bandaged back up again. He asked her what happened, without concern.

Looking down at her knee she replied, "Tore the stitches out. When you fell." He was surprised he hadn't noticed it earlier. Then again, he was too busy running around in his own head.

Just like that Daryl felt guilty once again. He was seeing a pattern forming, him always feeling guilt around her for one thing or another.

"I'll come back later for the plate," she told him as she continued for the door.

"You can use my cot tonight, if you want," he blurted out. He felt a tightening in his gut when she said nothing back before leaving the room again.

Angrily he sat up and shoved the food in his mouth. But with each bite he slowed, once again staring off randomly in the room. Thinking. He hated himself for it, for giving himself some sort of strange hope that he wasn't even aware he wanted, but he found himself thinking back to earlier in the day. When he had asked her what she was doing. He hadn't meant where she was going off to and somehow she had known that as well. But she had never answered him. Just as he hadn't answered her when she asked him the same question. And in that question he found his unwanted hope—if it could even be called that, hope. He wasn't too sure what it was he had found.

He found himself rolling the question over in his head. Why would she ask him the same question? Maybe he was just being an idiot, perhaps she was jabbing him back by asking the same question, trying to get back at him somehow for how he had reacted that morning.

Part of him didn't care, didn't want to care. But once the thought had been placed in his head he couldn't get it out. The detestable _what if._ What if she _cared?_ He tried to bat the thought away, countering that Alana cared about everyone in the group in some way, all on the same level. _But then why did she choose his company over everyone else's? _No one chose his company willingly. Only she did. And Wilhelm. The outsiders, taking in him, one of their own. That must have been it. It had to be it. And yet Daryl couldn't just let it rest at that. Much as he didn't want to, he did what any other human would. He hoped for more.

And hope was a dangerous thing.

So he sat there, waiting for her to come back for the plate.

She entered once again, this time moving much more slowly. It was past 10. Hershel's family must have been asleep already, cueing her to be aware of her steps. It was for the best though, best for her knee. She apologized for coming by late; said she had fallen asleep. For a moment Daryl wanted to ask if she had taken the cot, like he said she could.

As she reached down to pick up the plate her eyes drifted to the bed, to his side. The bandage was stained with fresh blood, soaking through the sheets. Alana sighed and put the plate back down. She left the room and Daryl followed her sounds as she left the house. She returned to the room shortly, a handful of medical supplies in her arms. She tossed a box of bandages on the bed along with medical tape and alcohol wiping cloths.

Daryl said nothing as she pulled the sheets down to see the bandage. It wasn't all that bad. But it wouldn't do to let the wound sit all night in it. He did his best to not tense up as he felt her fingers peeling the bandage back. She instructed him to lean to his right while she cleaned the area and put the new bandage on. Turning his head around, he tried to look at her, to read her face. Each time she told him to stop, that he was twisting his torso. He didn't listen. He needed to see the disgust on her face from seeing his scars. He needed something to render his hope…hopeless. But there was no disgust.

"Getting cold out there?" he asked as Alana threw the old bandage away.

"A bit."

As she went to pick the plate back up Daryl stopped her.

"Know what you doing yet?"

For a flash her face looked troubled. "Trying to survive." Daryl nodded solemnly. He admittedly wasn't content with her answer. "What about yourself?"

There it was again. Hope. But Daryl wasn't ready to fully accept it and say what he wanted. Not outright. He had to know for sure before he said anything regrettable. Or did anything regrettable.

He nodded over to the window. "Warmer in here than out there. You can stay with me…if you want." He rolled over then, leaving the sheets as they were, exposing his back to her. He could feel her eyes on him. If she walked out, he didn't want to see it. Didn't want to see even a reaction to seeing his back.

The door creaked open and was quietly shut.

The hope burned out, mere kindles now.

He clenched the pillow in his fist. He didn't bother to follow Alana's movements through the house as she made her way to the kitchen to wash the plate. He was too busy sulking, something he was accustomed to. It wasn't until a shadow passed over him that he realized she had come back. He looked up at her as she passed to the other side of the bed. She sat down on the edge after pulling the covers back. Taking her boots off Alana leaned back, pulling herself up fully onto the bed. She curled up under the sheets, her back to him.

Daryl closed his eyes, but remained awake. It started sometime around midnight; when he felt her moving. It was too much movement for someone asleep to make. He had shifted onto his back, one arm sprawled up above his head. He could feel the weight shift on the bed as she pulled herself over to him. He kept his eyes as still as possible under his lids, his breathing as calm as possible, his body as lax as possible. He could feel as she pulled herself up and onto his chest.

He waited until he knew she was asleep again and did the same as he had in the tent. He kissed her forehead, this time allowing his lips to linger. He rested his cheek against her head and brought his arm down to hold her against him. He stayed awake the entire night, aware of every moment when she woke, of every movement she made in those moments. At one moment she raised a hand up his chest, tracing over a scar lightly. At another she pulled herself closer to him. And just before sunrise she turned her head, her lips lightly against his chest, and breathed in.

Kindles could still burn.

**About time these two come to some sort of understanding…even though neither have outright admitted anything. This is Daryl after all, so we gotta take baby steps. Although I'll admit, I've turned him into a bit of a sneak, tricking Alana and stealing kisses. I'll try to get another chapter up within a week. **


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you to everyone for the reviews! **

**Spent the day on this chapter and didn't feel like waiting to post it so enjoy! **

The sun was slowly coming up and Daryl could Hershel's family moving about in the house. Every now and then he could hear a faint sound coming from the group's camp. Looking down at Alana he saw that she was still fast asleep. When he tried to slide out from underneath her she began to stir. He paused, waiting for her to settle, before slipping out of bed, gently rolling her away from him. He crept to the foot of the bed; the shirt she had brought him was dangling off the corner. With his back to her he gingerly put it on, careful of his side. He turned his head around so see that she still had her own back to him. He buttoned his shirt, watching as with each button the scars disappeared. He had allowed his guard to lower the night before, letting her see them. And she had said nothing about them. He even took some strange comfort when in the night she had run her hand over them. But night was not day. Everything looks different in the dark; diluted. In the day…he wasn't ready for her to see him like that. Yes, he knew, she had been the one to tend to him when he returned to the farm and had seen him plainly. She had shown no issue with them, but that did nothing to cure his own.

Daryl picked up his boots and sat in the chair in the corner. As he was bending back up from putting them on he saw that Alana was moving again. That involuntary shake of the head, not wanting to wake up, that flows down to the entire body following suit. She pulled herself up in to a sitting position, head still bent down, a mess of wild hair. Daryl lowered his head a bit to try and see underneath the ragged mess atop her head. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were fully attentive.

Without saying a word she slid to the edge of the bed and began putting her boots on, taking her time with her right, careful of her knee. A light knock came at the door and Wilhelm walked in. He nodded at Daryl. He had two bundles under his arm. The larger one he tossed at Alana.

"Cut the legs off for you," he told her as she unfolded a former pair of pants that were now shorts. The cut came just above her knees. He turned back to Daryl and handed tossed a rolled up pair of pants from his tent to him. He saw no need to tell him that there was a pair of boxers rolled up in them. That was something about unmentionables. You didn't mention them, even if there isn't a third person in the room.

"What's for breakfast?" Alana asked.

"Pancakes and fruit."

Alana stood up from the bed and headed for the door. Wilhelm stood to the side. He looked over at Daryl and jerked his head towards the door.

"Come on, she'll eat all the pancakes if she can. She has an unhealthy love for them." Wilhelm smiled at him and left the room. Daryl sat a moment longer in the chair before following him. He stopped in the hallway and looked back at the room. He went in and pulled the sheets back up, tucking them underneath the pillows. He grabbed the glass from the night before and took it with him. He dropped it off in the kitchen. Patricia was there and she took it from him, placing it in the sink. She went back to the stove where she was making the pancakes.

Daryl headed to the bathroom where Alana was just coming out from. He quickly changed and headed down the hallway.

In the dining room sat Alana and Wilhelm. Daryl slowed as he came up to them. As he as looking at them Hershel walked through. He paused long enough to glance over at Wilhelm. Something passed between them and then Hershel spoke to Daryl.

"Take a seat. I'll have to check those stitches."

Uncertain, Daryl took a seat next to Alana; Wilhelm sat on her other side. Hershel went into the kitchen, looking over Patricia's shoulder. There were footsteps coming down the stairs and soon Jimmy joined them at the table. He smiled at them. It wasn't long before they were joined by the rest of Hershel's family. Patricia and Maggie came in last, carrying a plate of pancakes and a large bowl of chopped fruits. The platters were placed in the center of the table. Hershel, at the head of the table, said Grace. And then everyone began eating.

Daryl had not a clue what was going on, why they—he, Alana, and Wilhelm—were eating inside with Hershel's family while the rest of the group was outside eating their own breakfast. He said nothing though. He wasn't about to give up the chance to eat pancakes. He had grown tired of eggs, even if they were real and not powdered.

As everyone began finishing up Hershel stood up and pointed at Daryl and Alana. "Come with me, we'll get new bandages put on." The two followed him as he headed back to the room that Daryl had been in.

Daryl hesitated at the doorway. Alana quickly looked back at him and understood. She sat on the bed and propped her leg up. Hershel took a look at the knee. It was then that Daryl was able to see just how badly her knee was. The stitches truly had torn, taking bits of flesh with them. Almost half the stitches had been torn out. Amazingly there was very little blood. After Hershel had placed a new bandage on the knee and replaced the brace Alana slid off the bed and left the room. Daryl was thankful.

It did not take Hershel long to finish up with him; he only replaced the bandage.

"You should stay on the farm today," was all Hershel told him.

While he knew the old man was right, Daryl wasn't happy with knowing he'd have to sit around the entire day. He took slight comfort in knowing that Alana would be restrained to the farm as well. And also because he knew she would find a way to break that restraint.

Daryl left the farmhouse, stepping out onto the porch. He looked around to the group. Carol was walking back to the RV. Andrea was nowhere to be seen. Lori and Carl were walking to the back of the house, to the chicken shed. Rick and Shane had a map spread out on one of the vehicles. Dale and T-Dog were still sitting around the burnt out campfire. Glenn was standing at the far end of the porch with Maggie; they had stopped speaking when Daryl stepped out. With a huff he went down the steps and made his way to his tent.

He halted for a second after unzipping it to see that it was empty. He laid down on the cot and looked around for the book that Alana had been reading. After a few moments of flipping through the pages he tossed the book away. He kept looking out the flap of the tent. He could hear Alana and Wilhelm in their tent speaking in German. He listened, trying to pick out if they said his name or anyone else's. When he couldn't, he picked up an arrow and began poking holes in his tent with it.

"_I spoke with Rick this morning." _Wilhelm told her. Alana was rummaging through one of their packs; she knew they had picked up a couple of books. As she picked on up she looked to Wilhelm.

"_And?"_

Wilhelm shook his head. _"They still plan to take teach them. He asked if I would mind helping. Told him I wouldn't take any part in it, that it's foolish, to be wasting ammunition and making all that noise so close to the farm. He's of the mind that this place is safe, that if walkers do show up we'd have plenty of time to either take them all out or leave." _Wilhelm scoffed. _"He wasn't too happy when I said I would not offer any of our guns for them to use. He understood, but he wasn't happy."_

"_I'm sure Shane had some words,"_ Alana quipped.

"_He did. Seems like he shows up at all the wrong times. Or right times, way he sees it." _Wilhelm waved a hand in the air lightly. _"He went on about how if we're to be part of this group, then we need to act like it. Equal share, protecting each other, and other things. I told him, if that's the way he sees it, then we would just leave." _Alana furrowed her brow and involuntarily looked in the direction of Daryl's tent. _"Rick of course wouldn't hear any of it, said that no one was leaving the group. He knows we're too valuable to just let go. He'll make whatever compromises are needed to keep us here."_

Alana nodded thoughtfully, turning away from where Daryl's tent stood. She thought back to breakfast. "That was very kind of him, to let us eat with his family."

Wilhelm shrugged. _"He's a good person. Not all his views may be grounded, but he means well." _Alana looked questionably at him and Wilhelm sighed. He wasn't sure how much he should tell her. _"Don't think of it. Everything's going as planned. Hershel knows we do not stand with that group. We don't share the same viewpoints of some of its members. He expects that once they find Sophia that the group will leave."_

"_The group…"_

"_But not us. We have a place here, if we want it. He knows that without Otis it's up to him and Jimmy to look out for the girls."_

Alana wondered what it was that Wilhelm had said to get Hershel to agree to them staying. She knew it was an agreement, a roof in exchange for needed protection. Hershel may not have been aware of it, but Wilhelm had planned it that way. Her brother, always making plans. This is what he had wanted. What he had been looking for. A safer place. A group to join. And yet she felt there was more he wasn't saying; there must have been a reason he did not appear more grateful. But she knew better than to ask him. He'd never tell.

"_After Shane and Rick come back from shooting practice they're going to head out to another housing development not too far away. Thinking they might take another look at the other development they had gone by. Heard they hadn't gone too far in last time. Thinking that I might go with them."_ Alana looked at him accusingly, upset that once again she'd have to stay on the farm. Wilhelm smiled. _"Maybe Daryl will teach you how to use that,"_ he said, pointing to the crossbow just outside the tent.

Someone came walking up to his tent and Daryl looked out, hiding the fact that he was anxious to see whom it was. He was disappointed that it wasn't Alana.

Andrea crouched just outside of the tent, holding a book in her hands. "Thought you might want something to pass the time." She held it out to him. He took it, flipping through the pages.

"No pictures?"

Andrea smiled. "Look, I…I just feel like shit, for what happened."

Daryl shrugged. "You were just protecting the farm."

There were footsteps and Wilhelm came walking by. He looked over at Andrea and asked if shouldn't she be heading off for gun practice. He continued on to the farmhouse. Andrea shook her head.

"What's wrong with him?" Daryl asked.

"Wilhelm won't let us borrow any of his guns for practice. Rick and Shane are taking some of us up past the ridge and Rick had asked if Wilhelm would help. He said no. Shane said he called them idiots, wasting bullets."

Daryl was a bit surprised at the change in her tone when speaking about Wilhelm. And the tone she took when speaking of Shane. He greatly doubted that Wilhelm had said the things that Shane had told her he said. Too much 'he said she said he said' going on.

When Andrea saw Alana coming out from the tent she nodded at Daryl and left. She looked back to see Alana stop at Daryl's tent. She said something before walking right in.

Alana had told Daryl to hand her the blankets from the cot. He did so and Alana began folding them up and making a small bed on the floor of the tent. She then laid down. Daryl tossed her a pillow, which she propped her head up on. She opened the book she had brought with her and began to read. She did not care to read the other book already in the tent. She found that it reminded her too much of her father.

When she felt Daryl looking at her, she held the book up so he could read the title. _A Game of Thrones._ He'd never heard of it. "Apparently there's a midget in it. And tits. And guts," Alana said with a grin. "What's that?" she asked looking at the book in his hands.

Daryl didn't bother to read the title, he just tossed it on the ground. "Doubt it has midgets in it."

The two remained in silence afterwards; she reading the book and Daryl looking off at random spots in the tent. At some point Alana began reading aloud. He thought it was stupid how she made different voices. He made no comments though. Instead he laid there and listened. Already he was confused with all the names being tossed around, but he did his best to listen nonetheless.

Wilhelm had been sitting on the porch, watching as Glenn nervously moved about the camp. He saw that Dale was keeping an eye on the young man, he was sure it was just a matter of time before Glenn ran his mouth off to Dale. He was aware of the conversation from the morning with Maggie. He had seen them arguing and come to a sudden hush when Daryl stepped out from the house.

Up to that point he wasn't sure what the argument had been about, but then Glenn said something to Dale and instantly the old man looked over to the barn. And Wilhelm knew why.

He knew about the walkers.

Glenn must have told Dale something else as well for a different look passed over his face, but Wilhelm didn't know what it meant. Nor was he concerned much over it. His focus was on what Dale would do now. And if Glenn would go off and tell others. Wilhelm watched as Dale told the younger man something and slowly walk off. He didn't think it wise to warn Hershel that the walkers were known about; it would be best to stay out of the possible mess.

And so later, when Hershel walked over to the stalls—Nervous Nelly had returned—he did nothing to stop Dale from following after him. As Hershel returned to the house he passed by Wilhelm.

"I need you to do me a favor," he began. Wilhelm nodded his head. "Make sure they don't go near the barn." Wilhelm nodded again, looking around to see that no one was watching their interaction. That was for the best. "I'm going to head around the fenceline, make any repairs that might be needed. Keep an eye on things here."

As Hershel went inside to grab a tool box Wilhelm saw Alana come out from Daryl's tent. She was stretching out her right knee. He called out to her, waving her over. Daryl exited the tent while she made her way to the porch. Hershel passed her by.

"What have you been doing?" Wilhelm asked her as she took a seat next to him.

"Reading."

"Which one?"

" _A Game of Thrones._ There's a lot of 'bastard' talking about in it."

Wilhelm laughed. When he saw Daryl walking towards them he asked him, "You up to some training?"

Daryl scrunched his face. "What kinda training?" He rubbed the back of his head and kicked at the dirt.

"Teach us how to use the crossbow. Take some weight off you on the hunting. Besides," Wilhelm said, standing up, "we need to start saving our ammunition."

It would give Daryl something to do. And he would appreciate not having the group throwing all the weight on him for the hunting. He shrugged his shoulders. "Guess so."

Wilhelm looked around, trying to think of where they could practice. He didn't want to go off the farm. There was a large windmill a drive's from the farm, but still on the property. He pointed over at it.

"We can head over there. I'll see if I can find some, some wood panels, lean them up against it. Those can be our targets. Will that work?" He turned to Daryl, waiting for approval. Daryl wasn't completely comfortable being the one to approve the shots.

"Yeah, sure, should work."

Wilhelm told Alana, "Grab the crossbows and arrows. We'll find some boards."

She did as she was told, grabbing what they needed and starting off towards the windmill.

Luckily for Wilhelm and Daryl, the group from gun practice was back. Wilhelm went straight to Jimmy and asked for what they needed. He led them over to the generator where some panels of wood were leant up. Wilhelm gave Daryl choice over which one they should take. He went with the thickest one there; didn't want the arrows going straight through the board.

The two carried the board over to the windmill where Alana was sitting on the ground waiting for them. She moved out of the way just enough for the men to stand the board up against the windmill. Wilhelm helped her back up and picked up the other crossbow with arrows, taking a few steps away.

"How far should we stand back?" he asked Daryl.

He wasn't too sure. He figured it wouldn't take long to teach them how to use the crossbows since they were army brats; just a matter of getting used to it being a crossbow and not a rifle. Daryl stood about twenty-five feet away from the board, judging that it would be a good starting point for them. He grabbed his crossbow from Wilhelm, cocking it back and loading an arrow. Taking aim at one the dark spots on the wood. He handed the crossbow over to Wilhelm.

"Isn't rocket science," he said. "Just point and shoot."

A "Hmph" came from Alana. Both men looked over at her. She then pointed over at their knees. "You two don't have a bum leg."

Wilhelm shrugged his shoulders. "You have another leg, don't you?" He laughed when she glared at him. Grabbing a new arrow after he had cocked the crossbow.

He seemed to get the idea of things and so Daryl didn't pay him much attention. He could see that Alana was having trouble cocking her crossbow back with her left leg. He watched as she switched over to her right leg for supporting it. He began to raise a foot to go over and just do it for her, but Wilhelm quickly tapped him on the arm, shaking his head. She'd have to learn on her own. After what sounded like a few swear words in German she finally had it cocked back. She placed an arrow in it and held the crossbow up. Daryl instantly walked over to correct her posture and hold.

They spent a good part of the day out there practicing. Maggie and Glenn passed them by on their way into the town for supplies. Wilhelm paused long enough to see that there was some sort of tension between them. He caught Maggie looking back at him, and then to the camp, where Lori was in plain sight. He had a feeling that he would find out what it was all about sooner or later. He returned to his practice.

Daryl had begun by having them shoot in tight groups, getting their respective arrows in clusters on the board. At first the groupings were spaced out slightly, but in no time it had improved. Alana stayed to the right side of the board while Wilhelm stuck to the left. Once the groupings became smaller Daryl had made them step back further until they were a good fifty feet away. He made them continue practicing while he went back to the camp.

He cautiously asked Hershel for point or any sort of marker.

"You teaching them how to use those crossbows?" he had asked him, looking out from the house to Alana and Wilhelm. Alana must have made an impressive shot; she was waving her crossbow in the air and jabbing her finger at Wilhelm.

"They asked me to," Daryl told Hershel. The older man nodded, looking at Daryl before turning to the siblings.

"We should have some. Somewhere. Go ahead. Head on back. I'll bring it out when I find it."

With a nod, eyes to the ground, Daryl went back to the windmill. Soon as he arrived Alana dragged him over towards her.

"Look!" she said, pointing to Wilhelm's side of the board. There, in the middle of one of his groupings was one of her arrows. Wilhelm snorted.

"Lucky shot," he told her.

She said something to him in German and he laughed. Daryl nervously smiled, though it looked like a grimace. Alana stared at him, shoving him slightly. "Smile."

He didn't.

Not long after Hershel came walking up to them, a bucket of paint and a paintbrush in hand. He stood back and looked the board over. He was impressed. And thankful. He handed the items over to Wilhelm. As he began walking away he stopped and turned around, looking at Daryl and Alana.

"After you're down out here change those bandages. You can use the showers tonight if you want."

Once he was out of earshot Alana said, "Now the others are going to hate us even more." Wilhelm snorted.

"Didn't know that was possible."

Daryl felt out of place in their conversation. When Alana saw the confusion on his face she reassured him.

"They don't really hate us, well, not all of them." Wilhelm made no attempt to hide his mumble of "Shane" with a cough. He then explained to Daryl what had happened that morning when he spoke with Rick.

The three of them didn't return to the group until Maggie and Glen made their way back to the farm. The former looked beyond irritated and the latter looked the same, always nervous.

"_Go head back," _Wilhelm told Alana. _"We'll clean up here." _Alana nodded and made her way back to the camp.

Daryl stole a glance over at her as she left that didn't go unnoticed by Wilhelm. Though for his part he didn't say anything. They pulled the arrows out from the board, putting them back in the carrying tubes. They both stopped when they heard a small commotion at the edge of the camp. They looked up in time to see Maggie walking away from Lori. It seemed that no one else had noticed it except them and Alana. She had slowed her steps, keeping her head down.

Wilhelm sighed. These people were even starting to get to Hershel's family. Looking over at Daryl he slapped him on the shoulder.

"Come on little brother, I'm sure we'll find out what that was all about whether we want to know or not."

Daryl stood in his spot for a moment as Wilhelm walked away.

_Little brother._

Shane and Andrea had returned to the farm. It didn't slip past Wilhelm that something had happened between them. It also didn't slip past him something had occurred between Rick and Lori. He was sure it was connected to whatever had happened with Maggie.

He sat around the campfire with everyone else, eating from his plate, listening vaguely to the varied conversations going on. Dale had asked to speak with him after dinner. He could tell from the question that he had something to tell him. He figured he'd find out one of the mysteries from the day.

The group was fairly quiet. Shane and Andrea were glancing over at him and Alana, no doubt holding grudges towards them over the guns. He could care less what they thought, he only cared that they didn't do anything stupid. Rick and Lori felt strained sitting there, with Carl between them. Glenn was keeping to himself, head down at his food. T-Dog didn't seem to be bothered by anything; only other one the same could be said about was Carol. Dale occasionally looked over at Shane. And Andrea. There was no need to guess that whatever he wanted to talk to Wilhelm about concerned Shane. Possibly Andrea as well.

As the group began finishing dinner and were leaving, Wilhelm stayed behind, long enough to catch Dale's attention. Dale said that he would clean up, give the women a break. At his words Wilhelm offered his help. No one argued about it and got up and left.

"You can take your shower first," Alana said to Daryl as they were walking back to their tents. "I have first watch tonight." Daryl nodded.

He took his shower, making sure that he brought a shirt along with him this time. Alana was atop the RV when he came out and headed for his tent. He nodded up at her. She nodded back. She had her night vision goggles on and looked like a fool. He had a feeling she knew that. He saw her nodding her head to a beat that must have been in her head.

Once in his tent Daryl zipped it closed, but left a few inches open. He kicked his boots off and took his shirt off. He picked the blankets up from the floor and laid them out on the cot. He slid underneath them.

He hadn't zipped the flap at the side that he had rolled up earlier in the day, to poke holes in it with an arrow. He could just see Alana out on the RV. He sighed and threw his head back on the pillows.

Stupid.

Here he was _waiting up_ for Alana. He didn't even know if she would come to his tent again. He closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

It was around midnight when he woke up. Alana was walking past his tent. He heard talking. Wilhelm was out there with her. He peaked up from the cot to see the both of them walking away. They parted ways when Wilhelm went to the RV to take over watch and she to the house to take a shower.

Daryl stayed awake, waiting for her to come back. As he heard her footsteps coming closer and he began to panic. He hadn't a clue what to do; whether he should pretend to be asleep again or not. Would she leave if she saw he was awake? Would she leave if she saw he was asleep? Would she even come in?

His questions were answered when the tent's entrance unzipped and Alana crept in slowly, a small keychain light in hand. She raised it up to Daryl's face and saw him staring at her. Nothing was said between them. Alana zipped the tent closed behind her, walking over to the cot. Daryl scooted onto his side, making space for her. She sat down and took her boots off. She rubbed her head with the towel she had brought with her, trying to get her hair as dry as possible. She reached over him towards the unzipped flap, closing it halfway, enough that anyone passing by wouldn't be able to see in. Daryl began to panic.

He let her pull the blankets down as it was fairly dark inside the tent. He still tensed as she laid down next to him, her back to his chest. He could feel the scar running down her back against him. He pulled the blankets up around them. Not sure where to place his arm, he draped it over her, letting it hang off the cot. It was slightly uncomfortable. He could feel that tingling in his fingers. Hesitantly he raised his arm back up, resting it on the cot. His fingers brushed against hers.

At some point in the night she had laced her fingers with his. When she began to stir he gripped at her hand, not wanting to let go. But she did the same as she had done the night before. Daryl laid on his back and she slid herself on top of him, back into the crook of his arm.

Surviving.

That's what they were doing.


	21. Chapter 21

**Enjoy everyone this chapter! Had to rewrite a couple of spots, just wasn't happy with them, but was able to get what I wanted and still finish pretty darn early **

**And just to let everyone know, when we reach the part where Randall comes to the farm, since his leg has to heal up for a bit, I'm going to use that time to divert from the storyline and throw in my own little adventures. Everything will come back to the farm though and will pick up back with the show. But….I'm sure you all would prefer I keep writing instead of hibernating and waiting for the next season to come on. So at the end of the season I'm gong to turn to the comics and follow that storyline. Of course there will be some things that I change and things that I add. So if you've read the comics, then you'll have an idea of where things are going to go for this story. And if you have read the comics, let me know if there are things or characters that you believe are a absolute must to be included in the story or of things that you don't care to see happen. I love reading your ideas/opinions on these things so leave them in your reviews! **

**And for everyone leaving reviews, thank you! I try to reply back to all of them, but if you don't have an account then I can't But I will say that I DO read all of them and all of you have been spot on so thanks! **

**As usual, anything in italics between Alana and Wilhelm are in German. **

**OH! I almost forgot! So clearly I'm taking my time with building up Alana and Daryl's relationship. When do you lovely readers think they should take that next step? What should be the circumstances? I think that no matter what, it should be Daryl that makes all the moves since I can't really picture him having a good reaction to Alana taking that step forward. Let me know what you all think!**

**Enjoy!**

It worked out perfectly between them; that they would wake up at nearly the same moment. It didn't sound like the rest of the camp was up yet. For that Daryl was grateful. Alana pushed herself up from him, Daryl groaning from the pressure. She called him a wimp and stood from the bed. She plopped herself down on the ground and put her boots on. After she had left the tent Daryl sat up and pulled on his shirt. He was glad that Alana hadn't pulled the blankets down as she got up.

When Daryl came out from the tent the rest of the camp was getting up. T-Dog was making breakfast for them. Alana was sitting in a chair with a plate of eggs. She had her right leg up on another chair. As Daryl approached she lowered her leg. Daryl took a plate from T-Dog and slouched down in the chair next to Alana. He looked up at T-Dog who simply nodded at him, no sign of mocking on his face. Daryl looked back down at his plate, stabbing at the eggs.

The group was fairly quiet. Looking at Wilhelm, Alana could tell that she would be hearing from him very soon. He had told her the night before, after her watch, that he had spoken with Dale. All he had told her at the time was to go nowhere alone with Shane.

Alana stopped mid-bite when Glenn walked up to the group, wringing his hands. That was never a good sign.

It was like a dream. Where you wake up and can only recall bits here and there of what had happened. That's what it became the moment Glenn had said, "There's walkers in the barn."

It was like a force, all their eyes turning to look at the barn. Every memory of those things that the group had, they were all coming back, flashing through their heads.

Alana's instincts kicked in. The rifles in the tent were closer than those in the house. She stood up to retrieve them. The group had begun walking towards the barn. And then Wilhelm was there, holding her back as the others made their way to the tent. He told her to stay put. As the group moved further away from them he said, _"Let no one near the RV." _

As the group headed for the barn Wilhelm pulled Daryl back. He told him, "Don't do anything rash. We ruin this and Hershel will kick us off." He looked back to Alana. Daryl followed his eyes to her. He thought of them being back on the road.

When the group reached the barn he stayed behind with Wilhelm. Shane was shoving his face up to the doors, trying to see through. The doors began to rattle and he jumped back.

Rick was trying to calm everyone down, saying that he would go speak with Hershel. That didn't give the group any comfort. Nonetheless they began walking away from the barn, but for the rest of the morning they couldn't keep their eyes from straying over to it. It seemed that now since they knew there were walkers in it, they could hear them no matter where they were on the farm.

When Wilhelm returned to the campfire he led Alana away and to their tent where she bounced right onto him with her questions.

"_You knew, didn't you? That's what you talked to Hershel about." _

Wilhelm forced her to sit on the floor of the tent. He crouched down in front of her.

"_I did what I had to. Hershel needs help. Help from people he can trust. I had already checked the barn. It's secure. Even if those things were to get out, we'd hear it. We would have plenty of time to take care of things. And with those things here, on the farm, it's covering our scent. If I knew these fools wouldn't freak out, I'd say we should put spikes along the perimeter and chain walkers to them."_

Alana shook her head, running her hands through her hair. "What do we do now?"

"_Nothing. We let them deal with it. We take no part in it. Only thing we do, we make sure that the group does nothing that Hershel doesn't want them to. We follow Hershel's orders. Not Rick's. And most certainly not Shane's." _

It was all giving Alana a headache. _"Fine." _

If the group started putting watches on the barn, at some point, one of them would get it in their head to take things into their own hands. And Wilhelm had an idea of who it would be.

"_Stay away from the barn. If anyone says something to you about the barn, you say nothing. Now, I'm going to go have a talk with Hershel, find out what's going on. Do me a favor, and keep an eye on everyone. The moment you think something is wrong, you come and get me. Try…to calm them."_

"_What did Dale want to talk to you about last night?"_

Wilhelm shook his head. _"He's concerned about Shane. After this I'm sure he's more concerned. He wanted to say more, at least it seemed that way, but he left it at Shane. From the way I saw him and Glenn talking yesterday, I don't doubt that he knew about the barn too. Probably didn't say anything to me of it because he wasn't sure what I would think of it, if I'd want to storm in there and kill the walkers. I'm going to talk to Hershel now."_

Alana nodded. Wilhelm got up and left. She looked out of the tent to see Andrea and Shane standing outside the barn, already on watch. Coming out of the tent Alana looked around at everyone. She decided that she should go ahead and follow what Wilhelm had told her and keep an eye on everyone. She made her rounds, walking by everyone, trying to get an idea of what was going on in their heads. T-Dog was at the campfire, cleaning the plates from breakfast. She offered her help.

He kept looking back at the barn.

"Can't believe those things have been in there this whole time," he said, shaking his head.

"We never would have known if Glenn hadn't told us," Alana told him.

"You sound like you're not bothered by this at all. You thinking of picking one out as a pet?"

Alana smiled. "One thing I learned out there with Wilhelm, those things can smell us. Having some locked up in that barn, I see it as a good thing." T-Dog gave her a questioning look. She repeated what Wilhelm had told her. "Their smell is covering up our own, keeping other walkers from showing up." She could see that T-Dog wasn't agreeing with her thoughts. "You can think whatever you want, but this is Hershel's farm. Not ours. We're just guests."

Alana left and headed back to her tent. She grabbed the crossbow and a couple of arrows. She didn't feel like going to check on everyone else. She was pretty sure they all felt the same as T-Dog. They had all come to the conclusion that the farm was theirs now.

She was coming by the stables when Daryl stormed out, holding his side. She stood in his way, holding a hand out towards him. "What happened?" she asked.

Daryl muttered at her. "Get outta the way." He tried to shove her out of the way, but she fought back. When she saw Carol coming out from the stable Alana took a step back, letting Daryl walk away.

She waited till Daryl was gone before turning to Carol who had stopped behind her. "What happened?"

Carol shook her head. "He was going to go out there, look for Sophia."

"…and?"

"He shouldn't, not in his condition. Not alone. And... I said that…that we should maybe accept that…"

Alana raised a hand, not needing Carol to finish the thought.

"I'll talk to him later."

"You're good for him, you know," Carol said as Alana began walking away. She looked back at the older woman. She wasn't sure what to say, if she should say anything. Carol quickly backtracked. "I'm sorry, I just thought…that the two of you…"

Alana looked over to the tents were Daryl was. Without saying anything on the topic she told Carol that she was going to take a walk around the farm.

She was sure Wilhelm would not be pleased that she had gone off on her own, but as she saw it, she was still on the property. She had been walking for a good hour. A few times she would look into the woods and see a squirrel. She'd take aim, but every time the critter would scamper off too soon. She had no idea how Daryl kept calm with how fast and often the squirrels moved.

She was prepared to give up on trying to shoot a squirrel when she saw one hopping across on stones in a small stream. It was hopping right her way. Not caring about her better judgment Alana followed it into the woods. Trees were a bit sparse, it was mostly brush. Kneeling down she waited till the squirrel began crawling up a tree. She took aim. At the last second the squirrel moved, the arrow barely striking its tail. The squirrel yanked free instantly. She must have only caught fur. With a curse she walked over and pulled the arrow loose.

As she was coming out from the woods she heard movement and stopped, crouching low. It was coming from the stream. Looking through the brush she saw Daryl and Carol walking along the opposite side.

Daryl was pointing at something. At the bushes. Alana could see a few flowers. He was saying something to Carol, but Alana was just too far away to hear it.

She could hear Carol asking him something, asking why he was adamant about going out there and looking for Sophia.

"Truth is, what else I got to do?" He began walking away, closer to where Alana was.

"You have her."

Daryl looked back at her. "Who?"

"Alana." Carol didn't make it sound obvious, like his question was a silly one. "You've been looking out for her, haven't you?"

"Don't have much of a choice." Daryl sounded irritated. Alana was unsure if it was due to Carol or the topic of herself. "Just trying…to make up for what happened."

"It's okay, being human. World may have changed, doesn't mean we have to change with it. Least not all the way."

"There ain't nothing going on," Daryl said, peering at the ground near the stream. When Alana looked over at Carol, the older woman looked hurt. Disappointed. "We should head back." Carol nodded when Daryl looked back at her.

He took a step and stopped when a noise came from the woods. He pointed his crossbow back up.

Alana came out from the woods, cursing to herself. She still had the arrow she had shot at the squirrel in hand. She could see the tension in Daryl. He was questioning whether she had heard him.

Holding the arrow up she said, "Stupid squirrel got away." She looked up the way that she had come, pointing the arrow. "Way's clear. We should head back."

"Where's Wilhelm?" Carol asked.

"Back at the house."

Daryl stepped forward as Alana walked past him, joining Carol. "Came out here on your own?" Alana fought the tiny urge to smile. He sounded like Wilhelm.

Alana looked around herself. "It would appear so." Daryl began to say something, likely regarding how she was an idiot to wander off alone, and then stopped himself, remembering that Carol was there.

He took off ahead of them back to the camp. When they reached it Carol watched as Alana and Daryl went to their separate tents.

Wilhelm wasn't back at their tent yet. He must have still been inside speaking with Hershel. She caught sight of Rick heading over to the house. She figured that Wilhelm would be in there for a while longer, likely speaking with Rick now as well.

She sat inside the tent. She looked for her book from the other day and then remembered that it was still in Daryl's tent. With a sigh she got up and went into his tent. He was sitting on his cot, cleaning arrows. He didn't bother looking up at her; he knew only she would invite herself into his tent.

Alana spotted the book quickly. Sitting on the floor of the tent with her legs out she opened the book to a random page behind the spot where she had actually stopped reading. She had grabbed her sunglasses from her tent and put them on. She held the book just low enough, just high enough. She was able to peer through the sunglasses and watch the others. They all had an itch to their step, their eyes slinking towards the barn. Daryl asked her what she was doing.

"Just reading my book," she said. At her words she turned the page nonchalantly.

He knew what she was really doing. Was pretty sure that Wilhelm had told her to do so. Everything she did was because of her brother, being either something he told her to do or something she learned from him.

That voice that brought nothing but doubt and anger questioned what she was doing, with him; if it was because she had been told to do so. He wondered which would be worse, it being because she had been told to do so or if she was doing it because she truly wanted it. He didn't have much experience before the world changed, with being human. He began to question what he had said to Carol, about why he was searching for Sophia. He had nothing else to do? Is that what he was doing with Alana? Using her as a way to hold onto some semblance of a normal life?

Daryl furrowed his brow while looking at her, sitting half in his tent, half outside of it. He allowed himself to envy her, being able to find a balance. Half of her saw the world as it was now, every step, every noise, a possible death sentence. And the other half…the other half saw him. Or so he hoped she saw him.

And there it was again. Hope.

"What's Wilhelm doing in there?" Daryl asked her when he was done being within himself, thinking. In the matter of her, Daryl found not thinking was for the best. Each time he began thinking he found her in his arms at night.

Alana peered over at the house. Wilhelm still hadn't come out.

"Talking with Hershel. Trying to figure out what's going to be done about the barn." She didn't sound worried. She sounded like someone who knew her brother would have a plan.

Having cleaned his arrows, Daryl clasped his hands together. "Should just head in there and kill em' all." He became insecure when Alana turned around to stare at him. Even with those sunglasses on he could feel her stare and it unnerved him.

"This isn't our farm," she told him slowly. "We can't just kick those doors in and do what we want with those walkers. For all we know, some of them may be Hershel's family. Walker or not, he wouldn't handle us killing them very well."

She could see that Daryl, while he understood her argument, still felt that the walkers needed to be taken care of. The group needed to be protected. That's what everyone would say. Alana felt torn. The group did need to be protected, but it wasn't as simple as opening those doors and taking care of the walkers inside. The worst possible scenarios began flowing through her head. The walkers could somehow get out without their knowing and attack everyone. Hershel could kick the group off the farm, albeit she was fairly certain she and Wilhelm would be allowed to stay. Maybe even Daryl, Wilhelm had talked to Hershel about it. It was possible. Or someone, someone could break down those doors. The group could break down those doors and kill them all. All of them, the walkers and the group. The gunshots would bring more. Her gut felt bottomless and empty then. What if Daryl was one of them? What if he joined in?

"If. If things go bad, promise me you won't do anything to get yourself kicked off the farm."

Daryl looked at her strangely. What was she telling him?

She put the book down, turning completely around. She took her sunglasses off and sat in front of him. "Wilhelm's been talking with Hershel. He's hinted that we'd be allowed to stay on the farm." Daryl asked who the 'we' was. "Us. Wilhelm, myself, and you." She knew Wilhelm had spoken nothing of it, but Alana could see the disgust growing in Daryl. Without thought she uttered more words. "If he'll allow us to stay, surly we can persuade him to let the others stay…if certain ones can be kept in line."

Daryl eyed her carefully, aware of who she was speaking about. He felt the light sting of guilt over the day before. Had his taking Hershel's horse without asking hurt the progress Wilhelm had made with the old man?

He could see her hesitate, biting the inside of her cheek, like her brother. He flinched back when she grasped his hands, using him as an anchor, pulling herself up just the slightest bit.

"If something happens, with the barn, with Hershel, or anything else—promise you'll think before you do anything."

It was strange. Seeing her tiny hands on his.

"Can do whatever I want," Daryl muttered, not looking at her. He could almost feel her deflate at his words.

"We have a good thing here…" Daryl looked up at her. "On the farm." Daryl deflated at her words. He pulled his hands away from hers. "What?" Daryl just shook his head.

Alana sighed and stood up. With one last look his way she left the tent.

Daryl rocked back and forth on the cot slightly. They were just surviving. That's what he kept telling himself. It didn't make him feel any better though.

As Alana left the tent she could have sworn she saw Dale trying to get her attention. He was standing next to the RV. He was strangely waving a hand at his side, stealing glances over her way. He began walking over to the picnic table where a basket of apples were sitting. With nothing better to do Alana headed the same way.

They both picked over the apples, heads down.

"I need to hide those guns."

Alana picked an apple up, turning it around. It had a slight bruise. She put it down and looked for a different one. "Best hurry then, before Shane comes around." She picked another apple up. She took a bite. "You're England. I'm Switzerland." She smirked before turning and leaving.

She continued to eat the apple, to hide the frown on her face. She looked around the camp as she headed to the house. She didn't see Shane anywhere. In the house there was no sign of Wilhelm or Hershel. Or Rick. When she asked Beth where they had gone she said she didn't know; she had been upstairs.

Sighing, Alana sat down at in the dining room. Beth sat down with her.

"Heard my dad talking to your brother," she said to Alana from across the table. "The other day. He likes you two." Alana smiled. "He's been telling me and my sister to not get close to any of you, that you'll be leaving soon. But he never mentions you or Wilhelm."

"Lucky for us then."

"When Rick and Shane took us out yesterday to practice shooting, Shane said some things about you two."

Alana eyed her. "You hear a lot of things."

Beth shrugged. "Not much else to do, so I listen, just stay off in the background. No one pays me much attention."

"So what did he say about Wilhelm and I?"

"Oh, no. You and that man, Daryl."

"What did he say about Daryl and I?"

Beth shook her head. "I…I'd rather not say. They didn't know I could hear them. But I was listening. Rick though, he stood up for you two. Told Shane to mind his own business. He said a couple other things, but Rick didn't say anything, so he stopped. It…it sounded like he was trying to protect you, from Daryl, trying to be the good guy."

Maggie came into the house and sat down with them. She said that her father, Wilhelm, and Rick, along with Jimmy, had gone off to take care of something. Alana nodded at her, unsure of what it could be.

The three of them sat at the table, talking of mundane things. It gave them a sense of nostalgia. Of normality. They welcomed it.

There was a commotion outside.

As the three walked to the door they could see Shane. He was carrying a large black bag.

Instantly Alana was out of the house, rushing towards him. Beth and Maggie were right behind her. Patricia joined them at some point as well.

Shane was handing out the guns, shouting, pointing at the barn.

As they came up he was holding a shotgun out towards Glenn. The young man looked to Maggie, behind Alana. He took the gun offered to him.

For a moment everything paused for Alana as she saw Shane hand a gun to Daryl who had come out from his tent. "You with us on this?" Shane asked him.

Daryl looked over at Alana. She was shaking her head. "Please…"

"You gonna let some girl yank ya around or what?" Shane snapped.

Daryl snatched the gun from Shane and turned away from Alana, heading with the others to the barn.

Alana looked to Maggie and the other two. "Come on, we need to stop them until Hershel gets back."

They followed after the group. It was Shane, Daryl, T-Dog, Glenn, and Andrea. Lori, Carl, and Carol were behind them, with Alana.

"This isn't your farm!" Alana yelled at Shane, running up to him and shoving at his back. He turned around quickly.

"What? You fine with having those things in there? Think you can sleep like a baby knowing those things are right there? Right there!"

"Oh shit." It was T-Dog. He was looking at Hershel and the others. But they weren't alone.

"What is that?" Carol asked.

The men were walking slowly, pulling walkers behind them on catching rods.

Shane was running up to them as they neared the barn, yelling. Alana stood back, watching as Rick and Wilhelm argued with Shane. Each had a death grip on a catching rod, a walker at the end. Jimmy was the only one without a walker. He held his gun up, unsure of what to do with it, who or what to aim it at.

Alana took the moment to rush to Daryl. There was an argument between Shane and Rick. Shane was yelling at Hershel, Rick was trying to calm him down.

"Please," she hissed, placing a hand on the shotgun in his grip. "Don't do this. Daryl, please." She looked up into his eyes, pleading with him.

A shot rang out and her body jerked. She turned around as Daryl pulled her behind him.

Shane had fired at the walker Hershel was holding onto. He continued firing. He was saying something, but Alana heard none of it. All she could was her own voice. Whispering. "We're all dead now." She watched as Hershel crumpled to the ground. Maggie ran over to him, holding onto his shoulders.

Shane was walking past everyone. To the barn. He was breaking the locks and chains.

And then they came.

They shouldered their way through the opening, lurching forward. Alana never saw it, but someone had turned around and shot the remaining two walkers on the rods. Wilhelm had stopped yelling. Rick had stopped yelling. The others were lining up, preparing to shoot as the walkers stumbled out. Dale came up behind everyone unnoticed. A look of defeat on his face.

Daryl pulled on Alana's arm, trying to get her to stand back. "Get back with the others," he told her. "Wilhelm!" Her brother ran forward, pulling Alana into her arms and dragging her back towards where Hershel was. The two of them stood there with him and Maggie, watching as each walker fell to the ground like a crumple of fabric. Wilhelm looked behind them, to Beth. She was standing alone. He ran over to her and held onto her, taking in the rattles of her sobs. Alana knelt next to Hershel, holding onto his arm, watching, as their fate grew worse with each bullet that was fired.

Silence fell on the farm then.

Alana looked around at everyone, her eyes falling and remaining on Daryl as he turned back to look for her. His face looked uncertain. He lowered his gun, taking a moment to stare at it as if it was a strange extension of his arm. When he returned his eyes to Alana, she wouldn't return his stare. He felt guilt. They had done it for the group. To protect the group. But he had done it for her. The walkers dead in front of them now, they would never get to her. Never hurt her. Never take her away.

The group raised their heads and guns as a noise came from the barn. There must have still been more inside. They readied their guns.

A gasp.

Hurried footsteps.

Broken hope amongst them all.

Daryl held onto Carol as she clawed pathetically at the air, towards this walker now coming towards them on uncertain footfalls. Alana could hear Carol whispering, "Sophia. Sophia." She turned to the girl. To the walker. She was so frail. Even amongst the other walkers she looked out of place. She didn't belong with them and yet there she was. The group had lowered their guns. No one was able to do what had to be done.

She saw Rick stepping forward. His gun arm heavy, yet he found the strength to raise it. Alana rose, coming to kneel in front of Carol as Daryl held her back. She grabbed the sides of her face, bringing her forehead to hers. She whispered to her. "Look at me. Just me. Look at me."

The ring of the shot echoed in their ears, hollow.

Carol jerked free from the both of them, getting up and walking away. Alana at Daryl, his hands on the ground behind him. Alana looked to the barn behind her then back to him. Something in Daryl cracked when he saw the glisten in her eyes. And the pity in them. Not pity for Sophia. Nor Carol. Pity for him. She tried to stand up, her right leg shaky. He reached out towards her, trying to steady her, support her. She took his help for only as long as she needed and then pushed herself off of him.

Her hands slipped from his, limp, as she walked away.


	22. Chapter 22

**As I've done in the past, I'm not really including the dialogue from the major scenes. We all know what the characters said, there's really no need to take up space copying and posting from the script. So bits where the show's dialogue would be are instead going to be filled with reactions from Alana and the others.**

Beth had moved towards the walkers, kneeling down in front of one. Wilhelm had followed after her. When she rolled the walker over, an older woman, it reached out for her. She screamed and Wilhelm pulled her away from its grasp. Andrea came forward, lodging a scythe in the walker's head. Wilhelm carefully picked Beth up and led her away. He nodded his head in gratitude to Andrea, but his face showed his contempt at what had just happened.

Alana and Wilhelm were leading Hershel's family back to their house. They reached the stairs when Shane could be heard coming up behind them, yelling at Hershel.

"She was in there this whole damn time and you didn't tell us?" He kept accusing Hershel. Dumbfounded, the older man turned around on the steps.

"Otis was the one to put them in the barn whenever they wandered onto the land. He must have…put her in there before he died." Alana could see that he wasn't lying. He truly didn't know Sophia had been in there. If he had, he would have told them, she knew he would have.

Shane approached them with heavy steps. In an instant Maggie was down the steps, slapping him, threatening him. "Don't you dare touch him! Don't! Haven't you done enough?"

Shane licked his lips, shaking his head. He looked up to Wilhelm and Alana. "What the hell you two think you're doing? He had walkers in the fucking barn!"

"This is his land," Wilhelm said calmly. "I follow his orders, not yours." He opened the screen door to the house and ushered Hershel inside.

The older man turned around, looking at the group. His eyes fell on Shane. "I want you off of my land. I mean it. Off." Before Shane could say something back Wilhelm guided Hershel inside. He gave Beth over to Maggie; they and Patricia went into the house as well. Wilhelm turned around to look at Alana.

"_Go back to the tent. Pack our things."_

Alana blindly nodded, walking down the steps and heading to the camp. She knew this routine. Wilhelm went into the house. He had asked Patricia if she knew where his packs of guns were. She nodded and showed him. He took a handgun out and sat out in the living room in a spot where he had a clear view of the entrance. He gave the family their space, watching the group to see what their next move would be. He looked over to the tents. Alana was at theirs. He could barely see her inside, moving about.

She was on autopilot, having done this so many times before. She had gone into the tent and stared. They hadn't packed everything up like they had spoken about doing the other day. At the most they had only pushed things around into corners. Kneeling down gingerly she began picking things up, sorting them. The packs had become a bit of a mess and so she decided to focus on them first; move things around to make as much room as possible.

Someone came and stood outside the tent, watching her. There was no need for her to turn around to know who it was. Part of her didn't want to turn around. For some reason, turning around would have only made things worse.

Daryl stood there, watching as she went through the packs, rearranging the supplies and items, putting them in a neatly order. Alana didn't bother moving out of his way when he came in. He stood over her but she wouldn't look behind her. There was a zipping as he closed the tent so that no one could see them. When she wouldn't look at him he reached down and started tossing the bottles of medication out of the bag and back onto the floor of the tent. Alana picked them back up with a calmness, placing them in the pack. Daryl huffed and tossed them back out again. He began pulling more things out, tossing them around the tent.

"He tell you to come in here an' pack?" he asked, breathing down on her.

She nodded. Still not looking at him. She didn't want to remember him as he was now, a regret.

"Where the hell are ya gonna go?"

"I don't know. All he told me was to pack. So I'm trying to pack."

Daryl grabbed at his head, not knowing what to do. He sat on the floor next to her. After a few seconds Alana reached forward to grab the supplies he had tossed out. As she was trying to place them back once again he kicked the bag away from her, spilling its contents. Alana didn't flinch. She still held the box of bandages in her hand, hovering over the spot where the pack had been.

"Just trying to protect ya," he said lowly. His shoulders were hunched over, head between his knees.

"That's what I have my brother for. He protects me."

"Then why the fuck didn't he do anything about those damn walkers? Huh? He probably knew about them too, didn't he? Glenn can't never keep his damn mouth shut, probably told someone about them. Probably told him." Alana said nothing.

Daryl stood up roughly, unzipping the tent with haste and leaving. He went to his own tent, stepping side to side, furious. He sat down on the cot. To his left, the blankets were scrunched up at the end of the cot. Atop of them all was Alana's sleeping bag. On the floor was one of the books she had left behind one day. He violently grabbed both and stomped his way back to her tent.

He raised his arms, ready to throw the items to the ground.

He stopped.

Alana had turned quickly at the sound of his coming. She stared up at him. Her eyes didn't glisten. She had rubbed at them, but the streaks down her face were evident. She turned away from him, her head hung.

The sleeping bag and book slipped from his hands. He moved carefully behind her, sitting down next to her. A moment of silence passed between them as he thought over what to say; what would make her stay.

"I'm sorry," he quietly said. "Sorry bout that day at the house, leaving you behind. Sorry bout your knee. And for the scar on your back. Both of them. I know the other ain't my fault, but still sorry bout it. I just wanted to protect ya."

Alana nodded slowly. She turned slightly, head still down, looking at the ground beneath his feet. "Of course you were, what else you got to do, right?" She lifted her eyes to his. All hurt was gone from them, shielded by armour now. He felt small and cold under her gaze. He felt alone.

He hadn't meant it. He knew he was lying when he had told Carol that. There were plenty of things he had that he could do. Merle could still be out there; he could have gone off looking for him. Could have left the group a long time ago, or never joined them at all.

…and he could go with her. He could leave with her.

But that stare. That void in her eyes. It left him cold. He had ruined it.

"Alana."

Daryl turned around to see Wilhelm standing outside the tent, looking past him to Alana.

"_Go get the truck."_

Alana stood and slipped past Daryl, her arm brushing his. He could feel her slow down at the contact.

"Where you taking her?" he asked Wilhelm as soon as she was gone.

"Away from here." Daryl looked like he was trying to find the words to say something.

"Doesn't she get a choice in it? What if she wants to stay?"

"My decision is her decision."

Wilhelm crouched down and began putting everything back in the packs. Daryl could hear the truck pulling up. He looked outside to see Alana behind the wheel. He became bitter. He was supposed to be the one to let her drive the truck.

He was supposed to be the one…

He wanted to be the one…

He had bruised her. And now he couldn't stand to look at her. A reminder of his failure.

He left the tent and made for the RV. To sit with Carol.

Alana watched him walk away, hanging onto the door of the truck as she got out. Fearful that he might turn around and see her watching, she went inside the tent and helped Wilhelm pack. All the small items were packed away, all they had left were the sleeping bags and clothing. The packing was halted when Dale came up to the tent. He was shaking his head slowly, not wanting to accept what he saw before him. Wilhelm stepped out from the tent, carrying one of the packs to the truck. He sidestepped Dale.

"You're leaving? You…you can't just leave." He was walking after Wilhelm as he went to and back from the truck. Alana was attaching the sleeping bags to the second pack. Wilhelm picked it up once she was done. He set it outside and then together they began taking down the tent. Dale was stepping side to side, looking at each of them. "Please. Stay."

Wilhelm shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we can't. Not after today." He stared over at the barn. "It's not safe here anymore. We have to keep moving."

"Alana," Dale pleaded stepping in front of her. "Hershel, he told Shane to leave. You saw him, he was looking straight at him. He told him to leave, not the group."

"Doesn't matter. We still have to leave." She glanced over at Wilhelm quickly. "Come with us." Dale's eyes widened. "Come with us, it'll be safer." Wilhelm looked over at them. The tent was collapsed now. They were pulling out the rods. "You tried to stop this from happening. Come with us."

Wilhelm stood up, folding up the rods. He wasn't fully happy with Alana's invite towards Dale, but he _had_ tried to prevent what happened at the barn. He looked over to Alana, remembering what his father had told him.

He would need help. If not a group, at least someone else.

"This is your one chance. Get what you need from the RV and come with us." Wilhelm walked up to Dale and spoke lowly, keeping an eye on Alana to make sure she couldn't hear them. "I'm going to need _help_. Come with us."

Dale stood in silence. He didn't know if he could leave. Leave everyone else behind. A large part of the world was about living, surviving. But he wasn't ready to forsake others for that survival. He shook his head.

"I can't just leave. I can't abandon them," he said, sweeping his arm over the camp. "And neither can you. You're part of this group. The group stays together."

Wilhelm chuckled darkly. "Come on now Dale. We were never part of this group." He looked to Alana. She was rolling the tent up. "We're just passing through and now it's time to leave." Wilhelm walked over to the truck with Alana. He tossed the second pack into the bed of the truck, unzipping it so that they could put the tent inside. He turned to Dale. "So you're not coming." It wasn't a question. He knew the older man wouldn't come. Wilhelm looked over at Alana. "Get in the truck. I'll get the other packs. Wait here."

He walked away to the farmhouse, ignoring everyone who came up to him, asking what they were doing. He shoved their questions off. "Don't you have bodies to burn?" he asked coldly before going into the house. He looked for Hershel, but Maggie and Glenn told him he was in his room and wasn't answering to anyone. Wilhelm stood for a moment. He didn't want to leave without some farewell to Hershel, but knew that at that moment there would be no chance for that. He walked back into the living room where he had left the two packs of weapons. He zipped both up. Maggie and Glenn came over to him.

"What are you doing?" Maggie asked.

"We're leaving, Alana and I. We're done here."

Glenn panicked. "You can't leave. You-you what are you going to do?"

Wilhelm unzipped the pack with the guns and pulled two handguns out. "Here, take these. I'm sorry, but we can't stay here anymore. Neither should you. It isn't safe anymore. Never was." Shouldering the two packs he turned to Maggie. "Tell your father I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye, that I appreciate what he has done for us." He held a hand out. "Good luck," he told them, shaking their hands and then leaving.

"Wilhelm! Wilhelm!" It was Rick. He was running up to him as he neared the truck. "Wilhelm, what's going on?"

Wilhelm put the last two packs in the truck. "We're leaving. We're done here. Good luck to your group." He held a hand up when Rick tried to speak. "Already had four of you try to talk us out of it, won't do any good. We're leaving." Carl came running, his mother behind him. He was crying out to Alana, begging her to stay. Lori held him back. Alana ignored his cries.

"What the hell's going on?" Shane came walking up to them. He had stopped from digging graves and came when he saw the truck. "You leaving?"

"Yes, we're leaving," Wilhelm said, moving towards the driver's side door.

Shane was fuming, shifting his weight and looking down into the truck bed. "Nah, you ain't leaving. Can't let you." He reach down and grabbed one of the packs. There was a cocking noise and he looked up to see Wilhelm, his gun trained on him.

"Put the pack down. Those don't belong to you. I'm not Rick, I won't hesitate to put a bullet in your head. Now…put the pack down."

"Shane…" Alana stepped out from the truck. He looked over at here, that wildness in his eyes fading to confusion. "Put it back down. And let us leave. Please." She could see that he was questioning if this was it, if he was supposed to pack his things as well and leave. As she stepped closer to him she grabbed hold of the pack. Lower than a whisper, she said, "Highway." She knew he would think she meant to meet on the highway, where they had left the supplies for Sophia. She and Wilhelm make sure to either be past that part or to go in the other direction before he had a chance to catch up with them.

"You're gonna die out there," he said, showing no sign to the others that she had said anything to him. She shrugged.

"And you're going to die right here. Put it down," Wilhelm said.

The tension lessened when Shane returned the pack. Wilhelm kept the gun trained on him as he backed away. Alana turned and stepped back up into the truck. There was confusion as the two got back into the truck and Wilhelm started the engine. No one had new words to say, to try and get them to stay, and so they stood back as Wilhelm spun the truck around.

Something popped into the rearview mirror as they began to drive off. Wilhelm slowed down. It was Dale. He came up to Alana's side. He hung onto the door. "What about Daryl? What, you, you just going to leave him like this?" That was Dale, fighting on even past the end.

Alana hung her head. "This group needs him more than we do." For a flash, Wilhelm questioned her words. He and Alana would need all the help they could find.

"And what about what he needs?" Dale asked lowly. He turned and looked over at the RV. Daryl had come out and was standing by the door. His fists were at his sides, twitching; like he was fighting the urge to come over there and stop her. Carol had come out as well. Dale sighed. "What will it take? Tell me, please." He looked back over to Daryl, calling out to him, begging him help. To stop them from leaving. Daryl stared long and hard at Alana. Then he turned around and went back into the RV. Dale backed away in defeat.

"Goodbye Dale," Wilhelm said. "Get off of this farm."

The truck drove off.

Dale turned back to the RV. Carol still stood outside, watching the truck disappear down the road. Everyone else, he noticed, had slowly gone back to what they had been doing. The graves were being dug; the dead walkers were being piled up. T-Dog went and got Otis's truck, pulling it up next to the pile of walkers. The bodies were loaded. Those that were to be buried were being set apart from the rest.

He should have fought more he thought. He should have fought more to get Wilhelm and Alana to stay. He could have stood in front of the truck, taken the keys. He could have even shot one of the tires. There was so much he could have done. He looked over to where their tent had been and then to Daryl's.

This group was breaking.

They moved quickly once reaching the highway, siphoning all the gasoline they could from the cars. Wilhelm paused at the car where they had left the food for Sophia. He piled the food and water into his arms and carried it back to the truck. He stood at the end of the truck, looking over the highway, at the cars. They needed a new car. Something quiet. Large vehicles would offer protection; they could sleep inside it. But they would require too much gas. And small cars would run the risk of getting stuck if for some reason they needed to venture off the road. He spotted the Honda that they had abandoned before meeting the group. If one of them laid in the back it would be bearable to sleep in. It would have to do.

With Alana watching the road, Wilhelm went into the woods, to retrieve the car's battery that he had hidden. Once back on the road, the two of them rolled the car back onto its wheels. It had caused an ample amount of noise. He quickly told Alana to drive the truck over.

Running back to the truck Alana jumped into the driver's side. She was turning the engine over when something caught her attention. A cloud of smoke could be seen behind them, coming from dirt road that led to Hershel's.

Alana froze.

Could it be Shane?

No, it couldn't. Whoever it was, they were heading in the wrong direction. They were heading to the town. Thinking quickly, Alana jumped out and climbed into the truck bed. She pulled out a pair of binoculars. She caught sight of an old suburban before it disappeared.

Hershel.

But why was Hershel heading into the town?

"Alana!" Wilhelm shouted as quietly as he could. The battery was back in place and so he came running back to the truck. "What are you doing? Bring the truck!"

She looked back to the road, where the car had disappeared. Without the binoculars it seemed so far away. _"It's Hershel, I think he just left. Why would he go to the town? Something's happened."_

"_We need to keep moving."_

"_It's Hershel. It was his car." _Alana tried to recall the highways on the maps they had always been looking at. _"The walkers you were bringing to the barn, where had they come from?" _Wilhelm pointed behind them. _"Then we need to go that way, we need to go through the town. We'll swing around and get back on track, heading east. If there's more, we need to make sure we don't pass through them, but around them. We have to go through the town."_

She was right. Wilhelm fought with himself a moment longer and then agreed tiredly with her. He went to the packs and pulled a set of keys out from one of them. He had held onto the car's keys. "Stay here," he told her as he ran back to the Honda and drove it over. Opening the backdoors they tossed the packs inside. The gasoline was placed in the trunk. The packs were more important. If needed, they had to be able to easily grab them and run.

They abandoned the truck and headed into the town, after the suburban.

Just that morning Wilhelm had begun spinning a new plan, only to have it fall apart. The plan with Dale had even fallen through. The plan to just leave on their own, he felt that it was falling apart as well.

A plan. He needed a new plan.


	23. Chapter 23

**Another chapter! **

**Alright, so, there is a certain character that died in the show this season that I am thinking of keeping in the story for my own purposes and also because they live for a quite a while in the comics. Don't want to spoil the show for anyone just in case there are some out there that haven't finished the season, so I'll just say that I'm thinking of keeping the character who finds the dead cow. Let me know what you all think about that idea. Also, let me know if there was anything in the show that you weren't happy about and wouldn't mind seeing changed in the story. **

**Enjoy!**

They drove in silence until they reached the town. Wilhelm slowed the car, pulling up next to Hershel's suburban. He turned off the ignition and stared out the window. He wasn't able to see through the windows of the bar. That's where he was guessing Hershel was at; it was the first place he'd go to. Stepping out of the car first, he reached into the backseat and pulled out a handgun and axe from the packs. Alana grabbed a rifle and her machete. Buckling the machete to her belt Alana made for the building next to the bar. Wilhelm had spotted an escape ladder on the side. The building was only one level and so the climb was not long. If needed, she'd be able to get down quickly. Wilhelm waited until she was on the roof and had had a chance to look around before he himself headed into the bar.

Alana kept low as she moved along the perimeter of the roof with quick and quiet steps. She knew it wouldn't be wise to just stay in one place. The buildings in this small town were separated by narrow alleys and things could turn wrong for Alana and Wilhelm without a moment's warning.

Wilhelm lowered his gun when he closed the door to the bar behind him. Hershel was sitting at the bar, a tall bottle opened to his side and an empty shot glass in hand. Wilhelm was cautious as he approached Hershel; he hadn't bothered to turn around to see who it was that had come into the bar.

"Hershel," Wilhelm called out as he came to stand beside him. He pulled a stool out and sat on it. Hershel poured himself another glass of the alcohol. Wilhelm ran a hand over his face, placing the axe atop the bar. "Hershel, we need to get you back to the farm. I'm sure Maggie and Beth are worried sick about you." He tried reaching over and pulling the bottle away from him, but Hershel just moved it out of Wilhelm's reach.

"They send you after me?" Hershel asked, an air of carelessness in his voice. His shoulders were hunched over, his arms holding him up against the bar.

Wilhelm shook his head. "No, we had left." Hershel looked over at him. "We decided it was time to leave that group…after what they did. I can't have Alana around people like that."

"They were sick. I thought, all we had to do was wait, wait for them to get better." Wilhelm listened as Hershel talked on; about how he realized that he was wrong. That those people in the barn, how his wife, they weren't sick. There was not nursing them back to health. All this time, all he had been doing was feeding corpses. "Maggie, she told me. How one of those people had come after her in the pharmacy. Glenn was there and he saved her life. But I put her in that danger, don't you see? I kept telling them that their mother was just sick, that they were all sick, but that they were still human. That was still my wife in there." Hershel turned the glass in his hand. "My wife died a long time ago. That thing that came out from there today, that wasn't her. That wasn't my wife. What Rick's people did…it was the right thing to do."

"Might have been the right thing, but how they did it wasn't the right way."

"It's too late to take any of it back."

"Those people are a plague Hershel. The walkers, we have less to worry about them than we do those of us who are still alive. It's the live ones that can ruin everything we have."

"Of all the people you've met," Hershel began, "was there ever a time when you didn't have to worry about one of them ruining what you had?" He looked at Wilhelm quizzically.

Wilhelm thought back to when the outbreak first began. When they were still in Texas. He nodded.

"When things began, I had called out father. Asking him if he knew what was going on. If he knew more than what we were being told. He said to go to this military base that was near the hotel we had been staying at. So, we went. We were there for a while. A few days. There were so many people. They just kept coming in. I never let Alana leave my side. Then…on the last night, I had woken her. We had been staying in this hangar. The military had set it up as a shelter. But, I kept hearing people…they didn't sound right. And there were men, they would come in and take people away. The family members…they would cry and try to hold on to them. At a point the men just began taking entire families, saying that they were putting them in another hangar, one meant for large families. But everywhere was packed. I don't know where they were taking them. So, I woke Alana, told her that we had to leave. There were so many people there. I knew it wasn't safe. Once inside though, they weren't letting anyone leave the base. I thought, I thought maybe we could find a way out from the back. I was ready to fight my way out, if I had to. To get her out of there. I was leading her around the back of the base when I saw those jeeps. I thought, I'll hotwire one of these and we'll just leave. I tell Alana to hide in the back while I try to start it. Then there's someone banging on the window, staring at me. It's this young guy. Couldn't have even been twenty. I don't know. Maybe twenty-one. I was sure we were dead. That they'd make us stay. But he looked just as scared as I was. He opened the door and told me to get out. The boy reached in and pulled the keys out from a compartment in the middle. Then he told me to get in the back. I told him my sister was with me. He asked if she could stay quiet. I said yes. His name was Lucas. He told me to get in the back and wait. So I did. A few minutes passed and I hear him coming back. There was someone else with him. He said his name was Heath. They were carrying these packs. Huge packs. They told us not to move, tossed the packs on top of us, to hide us."

"They were leaving too." Wilhelm nodded.

"I never asked them what it was that they did, to get out of there. I know that we stopped at an entrance. But it had to have been one in the back, it didn't take long to reach it. When we were out, I could see, just a tiny bit. I could see the sky. There was this, huge, dark cloud. The smell was horrible. I knew that smell. Then we heard shouting and Lucas sped up."

Hershel could figure out the rest of the story. Lucas and Heath had posed as bringing a load of corpses to be burnt. That was their escape. Their way out. It was the next day when they had learned how the base had been compromised. How the disease had spread and the base was chalked up as a loss.

"Where are they now?" Hershel asked.

Wilhelm wasn't sure. "We split up past Dallas. Lucas had a family farm. Just like yours I suppose. Said it was in the middle of nowhere. Flat lands. Heath's family was gone. When I told them that we couldn't go with them, that we had to get back to our own home, they understood. They understood and just let us go. That's where we got those packs of ours. Gave them to us." Wilhelm laughed. "Said that if we were ever in Texas again to look them up."

There was a low whistle and Wilhelm looked up. Both men turned around to face the door, but it was Wilhelm who stood up and crept over to it. His shoulders slacked and his heavy steps brought him back over to Hershel.

"Looks like they've sent out a search party for you," he said as Rick and Glenn came into the bar.

Wilhelm listened as Rick tried to talk Hershel into coming back to the farm. He said how Beth was sick, that they couldn't get a response out of her. She was in some sort of catatonic state. He knew that Hershel would go back. It was just a matter of allowing him the space that he wanted. A chance to break where others couldn't see him. Then he would put himself back together and go back.

"Where's Alana?" Rick asked Wilhelm.

"Up on the roof next door."

"We didn't see her," Glenn said, confused.

Wilhelm chuckled. "That's the point."

"So…does this mean you're going to come back with us too?" Glenn asked, his face hopeful.

Alana crouched on the roof, just a peek of her head sticking up. It was taking forever for them to out from the bar. As if they were having some sort of intervention. She had spotted no walkers yet and was grateful. It was beginning to feel like she had spent a large part of the day up on that roof. Climbing down and telling them to hurry seemed like a good plan. She crept around the roof one last time.

She had wanted to whistle again. To warn them. But the windows of the approaching car were rolled down. They stopped at the beginning of the town and began walking towards the center. There was no way for her to warn them. Just looking at the two men she knew that they would only cause trouble. Would ruin things. As much as she wanted to climb down, she knew she couldn't. If things went smoothly, the two men would eventually leave. Alana couldn't recall the last time anything had gone smoothly for them. They were heading to the bar. She tried to take aim on them, but the one of them, the smaller one, kept looking around constantly. Alana moved to the far right of the building and took aim at the bar's entrance once they were in. The sky was turning dark. Soon she wouldn't be able to keep an eye out for walkers.

She waited.

And waited.

She gripped her rifle when she heard two shots come from inside the bar. Wilhelm, Hershel, Rick, and Glenn were inside the bar. Two shots wouldn't have taken them all out. She began to relax and made her way back over to the escape ladder. The hum of an engine had her freezing in spot. She watched as three men jumped out. One climbed up on the building across from the bar.

The other two headed for the bar. Then the talking began.

Alana listened. She could hear Rick yelling out at them. They were looking for their friends. Rick said they were dead. At those words one of the men began moving to the backside of the bar. They opened fire on the bar from the front. Alana rushed to the back, trying to find the man that was waiting in place to ambush Wilhelm and the others.

The doors in the back began to open and she saw Glenn. There was a shot fired and then she fired her own. There was a scream. The man laid on the ground, clutching his knee, trying to hold it together. A shot buzzed past her head and Alana slinked down. Whoever was on the roof had a horrible aim, but fire enough shots and you're bound to hit something sooner or later.

"Walkers!" The word was shouted over and over. Daring to poke her head up, Alana could seem them. Dragging themselves out from the darkness.

"Get to the cars now!" Rick was yelling from inside still. The unwelcome guests were yelling the same thing. The man Alana had shot was now screaming. The walkers had caught up him as he attempted to drag himself away.

She could hear clanging and Alana saw the young man from the roof trying to climb down. She took aim. Fired. He screamed, falling the rest of the way. It looked like he had impaled his leg on a gate. He cried out for help to the remaining person in his group, but the man sped off.

Alana rushed down the escape ladder. As she came out from the alley Wilhelm and the others were exiting from the bar. Rick was yelling at them to get in the cars.

The young man was crying out. Alana panicked when she saw the worry in Rick's eyes.

"Leave him!" she said. "He shot at me! Leave him!"

"We don't have time for this Rick! We need to get out of here," Wilhelm told him, trying to pull him back from going over to the man.

"Hershel!" Rick called out.

Wilhelm cursed, grabbing another gun from their car and keeping an eye out as Rick and Hershel argued over what to do. Glenn was standing in the alley way, shooting off rounds.

"Guys!" he yelled. "We gotta leave! There's too many!"

"Leave him!" Wilhelm shouted, trying to drown out the moans and gut-tearing growls that were flooding their ears as the walkers came closer. "It's us or him!" He saw Glenn pulling back from the alley, shaking his head. "Get in the car!" Wilhelm said to Alana. At the roar of their engine Rick looked around them and saw how lost the situation was.

Wilhelm spun the car around. Passing past the others he witnessed as Rick ran back to the young man, tearing his leg up from the gate, a blood chilling scream escaping him as Rick hurled him over his shoulder and ran over to the cars. They left their car there and piled into Hershel's.

Alana waited until they were out of the town a ways down the road before speaking.

"_Where are we going?"_ she asked.

"Back to the farm," Wilhelm told her with a straight face.

It was too dark for them to go anywhere else. Wilhelm had never allowed them to stop for the night without first scoping out the region they were in. They would stay in one spot for two hours before the sun went down. The first hour was spent watching, waiting to see if the place was safe, empty of walkers. If it wasn't the second hour allowed them time to move on as far as they could.

"I'll ask Hershel if we can stay in the house tonight. _I don't plan on putting our tent back up. We'll leave again tomorrow." _Wilhelm paused, thinking.

He stopped in the middle of the road, waiting for Rick and the others to catch up. The car pulled up next to them. Wilhelm peered in to see that the young man had a rag tied over his eyes. Wilhelm got out from the car and Rick followed suit. They stood a ways from the cars.

"We can't just head back. We should walk back a bit and make sure those things aren't following us. If they are, we'll have to led them another way. Then back track our way to the farm."

Rick nodded, thinking the plan over. "We'll use those goggles of yours."

The two walked down the road for a while. Sure enough, the sounds of walkers came crawling into their ears. Wilhelm held the goggles up.

"How many?" Rick asked.

Wilhelm quickly counted. "If we're quick, we can take them out. No guns though."

The two jogged back to the cars. Hershel and Glenn were to remain behind.

Rick grabbed a bat and with Alana and Wilhelm, began making their way towards the walkers. Hershel and Glenn reversed the cars back behind them. There were twelve walkers.

Rick watched as Alana and Wilhelm ran back and forth, confusing and angering the walkers. Moving just out of their grasp. One would distract them while they other came up from behind. Rick used the bat to knock the walkers off their feet. It gave them enough time to rush over and finish the work. The air around them was filled with guttural groans and thick snaps of skulls being crushed or the slippery slurp as steel was pulled from heads.

The three returned to the cars breathing heavily.

The sun was coming up.

Daryl was irritated. Everyone was running off. And now he had to go out and fetch them all. The back to Shane's car was open and they were tossing supplies into the back. There was still dried blood all over the place from that night they brought Alana back. Daryl paused a moment, choosing to keep his crossbow in hand instead of placing it back there.

"Car!" Dale shouted from the top of the RV.

The others turned and watched as a small car was making its way up the drive. Everyone tensed.

"Is it them?" Lori asked, holding a hand up to her eyes to block the sun.

Just then Hershel's suburban came into view.

"Who's in the other car?" Shane asked. "Well who is it?"

"I can't see that far!" Dale quipped.

The group waited, weapons in hand, as the two cars pulled up.

There was a sigh of relief as Wilhelm and Alana stepped out from their car. But their guards were placed back up as soon as T-Dog asked who was in the car with Rick and the others.

"Prisoner of war," Wilhelm muttered as he headed up to the house to hold the door open as Rick and Hershel helped the young man inside. They hadn't removed the rag from his eyes. Everyone remained hushed until they were inside. Glenn stayed outside and told everyone what had happened.

"And so you just decided to bring him back here?" Shane asked angrily. "Shit man, we send you out to bring Hershel back and you bring back a pet too. That's just great man, another mouth to feed. And you say his little friends were shooting at you? And you bring him back? Here?" Shane stomped off.

The group began to thin out, now their eyes trained on the farmhouse instead of the barn.

"_I'm going to clean up," _Wilhelm told Alana, holding his arms out and taking a look at himself. He had rolled around a bit in the shattered glass from the bar a. He headed into the house.

Alana sighed, leaning against the car. She winced and pulled back. The side of her arm was scraped. Must have happened when she slid down on top the roof, when that boy had shot at her. She held her arms out as Wilhelm had just done, looking at them. There was the scrap on her one arm, while both were speckled with bits and pieces of walkers. She began brushing them off.

"What happened?"

Alana shot her head up.

Daryl was standing in front of her, staring at her arm. She twisted it to the side so she could see it better.

"Scraped it when that bastard shot at me," she told him, jerking her head over to the house. She noted how Daryl's hands clenched at his crossbow slightly.

Alana excused herself and started walking off towards the well near the barn. She crouched down and began pumping the water. She held her arms underneath the faucet and rubbed away at her skin. It took a while before the red tint on her hands vanished.

"You okay?"

She turned around to see Shane standing behind her. His head was lowered to the ground but his eyes were peering up at her.

"Yeah. Just scraped myself."

He came up next to her and cranked the water pump for her.

"Didn't get very far, did you?"

"No."

She held her arm under the water, letting it run over the scrape until the pounding of the water stung.

"You two plan on leaving again?" Shane asked her as she stood up. Alana looked over to the farmhouse.

"Who knows how many others were with that kid. Won't end well for us if we head back out and run into them. For the time being, strength in numbers."

Shane nodded. "You got any idea what Rick plans on doing with him?"

"If he has any sense, he'll put a bullet in his head," Alana said, walking back to the farmhouse.

She went to their car and opened up a backdoor. Digging through one of the packs she found a bottle of rubbing alcohol. After Wilhelm came out from the house she went inside, heading for the bathroom. Their faces were neutral as they passed each other.

Alana stared at the scrape on her arm. She looked up at herself in the mirror, leaning forward, staring hard back into her own eyes. Unscrewing the cap on the bottle she set it down. She pulled up on a tiny knob on the water faucet and plugged the sink up. Holding her arm over it she began pouring the alcohol on the scrape.

"_Did you bring bandages?" _she asked in a strained voice when Wilhelm came into the bathroom. She had left the door unlocked, knowing he would came and check on her.

She turned and saw Daryl standing there instead.

He took the few steps forward and looked down at her arm.

"It's just a scrape," she told him even though her voice betrayed the fear growing in her.

Daryl said nothing as he took the bottle from her and poured the rest of it into the sink. He moved behind her, wrapping one arm across her chest. The other grabbed onto her right wrist. He pushed her arm into the sink and held it there. Alana gasped at the pain that shot up her arm and down her entire body as the alcohol enveloped the scrape. When she began to fight against him, to try and pull her arm out, Daryl held onto her tighter. She slowly stopped fighting against him, her body weakening. He could feel tears falling down on the arm wrapped around her. He wanted to let her go. To make everything stop. But images of her as one of those things…he kept her arm in the sink longer. When he could no longer hold her up anymore he pulled her back with him, slinking down the wall.

He told he to wait there. He returned with bandages. She winched a few times as he patted her arm dry while he crouched in front of her. She stood up and balanced herself against the sink. There was a bar of soap sitting on a dish. She reached out for it and began washing her hands, to get the dryness of the alcohol off of her. Daryl reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a bottle of pills.

"Here," he said, taking the lid off and dumping two pills out. He held them out to her. "Ain't the generic crap."

Alana took the pills, cupping gulps of water in her hand.

"Anyone else see your arm?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Shane saw it, but I had already washed everything off. I don't think he really noticed it. He's not exactly one to keep quiet about things." She looked at the bottle of pills Daryl still held in his hands. "What are they?"

"Antibiotics. Don't know how much ya should take."

"I don't think there's such a thing as too much," she told him. He nodded his head and gave the bottle over to her. She stuffed it in a pocket. "Thank you."

Daryl quickly looked her in the eyes then looked away, nodding his head.

There was knocking at the door. _"Alana? Are you okay?"_

"_Yes. I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute. I'm just cleaning up." _

When the steps retreated from the door Alana slipped past Daryl, but he reached out and grabbed her wrist. He could still see the redness he had caused from holding her arm down with such force. He turned her wrist over in his hand.

"Sorry bout that," he said quietly to her. He kept her wrist in his gentle hold. Neither would look at each other.

"You don't have to apologize."

"Don't say I'm sorry often, just take it."

Alana nodded. "If…" she began saying, staring at the bandage on her arm.

"Nothing's gonna happen," Daryl quickly said, his voice laid back, as if he didn't have a single concern. It was just a scrape, nothing more. There was nothing to worry about.

She took small steps, uncertain, like those of a child. Daryl tensed as she wrapped her arms around his midsection, resting her cheek against his chest. He could feel her tremble slightly. She repeated what he had said; nothing was going to happen. She would be fine. Daryl kept his arms at his sides; his hands just barely twitched as he lifted them a few inches, then brought them back down. Alana slid away from him. She looked up with a meekly smile.

When she left the bathroom Daryl released the breath he had been holding in.


	24. Chapter 24

Daryl had waited back after Alana left the bathroom. He passed by her and Wilhelm on the porch. He looked back once as he headed to his tent.

"_Is your arm okay?" _Wilhelm asked Alana while they both sat on the porch. The rest of the group was moving about the farm, fulfilling whatever chores they had for the day. They were trying to fulfill them at least. Their eyes kept turning to the farmhouse.

"_It's fine. I just had to clean it." _

"_How do you feel?"_

"_Fine. I feel fine," _she told him. She rubbed at the back of her neck. _"Fever usually starts right away. I feel fine." _

Wilhelm nodded. _"Good. It's just a scrape. Besides, look how many of those things we've killed in the past. Never been infected before. We've had to cover ourselves in their guts, stunk for days. But we were okay. No need to worry. Besides, no one else seems to be concerned," _he told her, looking around the farm.

"_So what do we do now? Stay here?"_

"_We don't have much of a choice, not with that other group out there. Best to lay low for a while."_

"_For how long?" _Alana asked him with a hint of frustration. _"Look at all the shit that has happened to us—to me—since we've come here."_

"_And imagine what would happen if we left again. What if we had run into that other group? If we hadn't gone after Hershel, who knows what we would have met up with on the road."_

"_And who do we have to thank for going after Hershel? Hmm? Me. I was the one who said we had to go after him. And I'm saying now, we can't stay here."_

Wilhelm looked towards the camp. He sighted Daryl.

It felt like every plan of his never stayed in affect for long.

"_We stay here. No discussion. We can leave in two weeks. By that time maybe that boy will be healed up enough. They'll likely dump him off somewhere if they don't decide to just kill him. His group should be gone by then. We'll track him down anyways. Kill him. Then we'll carry on." _

Alana sighed. She asked if when they left would they be taking anyone with them. She mentioned the conversation she had had with Shane. He still seemed to want to leave. To be honest Wilhelm didn't have an answer for her. He wasn't sure if he did want to bring anyone with them. At the same time, he wasn't sure he actually wanted to leave. He never had been. He didn't think himself unable to protect Alana. For the two of them to survive on their own. It wasn't doubt that made him question leaving the group. It was common sense. Anything could happen and if it did, he preferred that they weren't on their own when that anything happened.

"_I'll talk with Rick later. We'll have to take precautions. Double on watches." _He saw the look Alana was giving him. He knew that look. She was doubting that they would ever leave the farm. "Do you trust me?" he asked her. She nodded yes. _"When the time is right, we'll leave. In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open. And don't let Shane catch you alone again. Always keep me or Daryl in sight, okay?"_

"_Why him? I've never asked." _Alana laughed. _"I never ask. But why him?"_

Wilhelm smiled, watching as Daryl walked away from the camp. He wasn't sure where he was going. _"You really think I've never once seen the way you two look at each other? Don't look at me like that, I know you've seen him just staring at you. It isn't like Shane does. He's, he's just trying to find some sort of escape. But Daryl, I'll just say this. You're more to him than just someone he shares his tent with. That's why I tell you to stay near him. Because if there's anyone that would give their life for you aside from me, it'd be him." _He stared back out towards where Daryl had gone. He could barely make out what looked to be the debris of some old house, perhaps a fireplace. It looked to be where Daryl was heading. Wilhelm looked to his side as Rick came out from the house.

"We need to talk," he told him.

Rick nodded, looking exhausted. He propped himself up on the porch, back to the camp. He eyed Alana for a moment, unsure if she would be staying for the conversation. Or if she had some part in it. When Wilhelm began speaking he shrugged the thoughts off.

"Firing those guns off yesterday was a mistake. A huge one. Any walkers in this area would have heard and will be making their way here now unless something else grabs their attention. We'll have to increase the number of eyes we have. Just having Dale up there on the RV won't be enough. We need to start having patrols, daily patrols. It'll be a lot of work, but it will at least keep everyone busy."

"Plus," Rick added, "we have this other group to worry about." He sighed. "You really think they'll come looking for him? The one just drove off, left him."

"I doubt that this group will care if one of their own was left behind, but the fact that we killed three of theirs, they won't be happy about that. Doesn't matter what kind of world this is, people will always was revenge. And they'll always want what they don't have."

Alana spoke up. "If their group is small, they'll keep moving. But if it's a large group they'll be able to stay put for a longer time. And they'll be confident of attacking other groups."

Rick thought it over. As if talking to himself, he said, "Lori's pregnant." Alana and Wilhelm looked at him, eyes remaining small. They were unsure whether to congratulate him yet. "We can't leave this farm. And we need Hershel. He's going to let us all stay here." He looked behind him to the farmland. "We'll do what we have to, to protect the farm."

"This isn't exactly an ideal world for a newborn," Alana thought.

"There's a lot of things that aren't ideal," Rick said, just the smallest hint of distaste in his voice. He was staring off where Shane was, outside the barn with a few of the others. They were cleaning it out. He turned back to Alana and Wilhelm. No words needed to be exchanged between them for the two to understand what Rick was thinking. As Rick had thought to himself, that baby was _his._ There would be no discussion. Protecting his family was all that mattered. "What do you propose we do then?" he asked Wilhelm in regards to fortifying the farm.

"Secure the farm. Daily patrols. We should head back into town, strip all the buildings of any and all supplies. Even if we don't need them. Anything that anyone could possibly want, we need to take it. Strip the whole town. That way if anyone comes through, they'll see there's nothing, and hopefully they will keep moving."

"And what about this other group that's out there?" Rick asked them.

"We have no way of knowing how many are in their group unless we get Randall to tell us."

"What exactly do you plan on doing with him?" Alana asked.

"I don't know. Once he's better I just want to dump him on the road, give him a fighting chance."

"And what if that fighting is against us?" Wilhelm asked.

"What would you have me do?"

Wilhelm shrugged. "I'd have you do what needs to be done." Wilhelm stood up. "Alana and I will walk the farm. Let everyone know we'll be needing more of them on patrol starting tomorrow."

Rick headed over to the barn and one by one, let everyone know about Wilhelm's plans.

That evening Alana sat with her brother around the campfire while the group ate. Everyone was fairly quiet, not knowing how to react to knowing that Randall was in the farmhouse. It had been passed to each set of ears that Randall would be staying on the farm for the time being, until his leg was healed enough. Discussion of what would be done with him afterwards was sparse, though it was common knowledge how the group felt. They didn't want him in their group. But they also worried what could happen if they let him go.

As everyone prepared for bed Alana and Wilhelm headed to their car. Wilhelm had already spoken with Hershel and they would be staying in the house for the night. He grabbed the pack with their clothing in it and headed inside the house. They were to sleep downstairs in the room next to Randall's. Dale and Andrea had first watch for the night. Dale would remain atop the RV while Andrea walked the farm. Afterwards, they would switch with Alana and Wilhelm.

In the bedroom Alana quietly took her boots off. They couldn't be sure if Randall was listening to them or not. It had been agreed with Rick and Hershel that they would stay in the room next to Randall in case he tried anything. Alana pulled the bottle of antibiotics from her pocket and took another two pills out. Wilhelm handed her a bottle of water and she swallowed them. He put a hand against her forehead. No fever. 

Wilhelm had already told Dale to come and get him when it was time for their watch. He and Alana crawled into the bed. It didn't take long for Alana to fall asleep; after the last 24 hours, she was ready for sleep.

Some hours later Dale poked his head into the room. He waved at Alana as she rose. He left and headed back outside with the two of them behind him. At the porch Wilhelm stopped him.

It wasn't until Alana and Wilhelm were atop the RV that she noticed Daryl's tent was missing from the group. She searched around them and saw far ahead of the farm a small fire near the crumpled fireplace that remained of some old house. The glow of the flames danced against a tent. She could see a figure walking back to the camp. Carol. If she squinted, she thought she could see the hunched over figure of Daryl against a lone standing wall.

Alana picked up the night vision goggles Dale had left up there for them and looked across the land. Wilhelm whispered at her side that he was going to go ahead and start walking the back of the farm. With the goggles they wouldn't have to worry so much about something coming straight at them, they would spot it early on. The back was their blindside. He headed down, stopping at the car to pick up a second pair of goggles, and continued on his way. He said he would be back in an hour.

She was on her own until Carol reached the RV. She asked her what Daryl was doing out there on his own.

Carol didn't know. "I tried to get him to come back. It isn't safe for him to be out there on his own. If something happened, it's too far away."

"Will you sit up here while I go talk with him. I'll try to get him to come back."

Carol shook her head. "I already tried. What happened to Sophia wasn't his fault, but he just keeps pushing me away."

Alana climbed down the ladder, handing the goggles over to her. "Don't you get it?" she asked. "This isn't about you or Sophia. Never was. Finding her was something that he _needed _to do. It gave him a place in this group."

"What is he to you?" Carol asked as Alana began walking away.

She didn't answer.

As Alana approached Daryl's tent she saw that he had brought his bike with him. He had shirts hanging on the fireplace and had strung up a few squirrels.

"Thought I told ya to leave me the fuck alone," he said, standing up and spinning round to face Alana. He took a step back when he saw her.

"I'm sure you have, but I don't easily back down." She moved to stand in front of him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Trying to get away from all of ya. Tired of ya people."

Daryl was shaving bits off a sticks; it looked like he was making arrows. Alana grabbed the knife from his hands that he was using, sitting down in front of him on the ground. He cursed and reached out for the knife, but she tossed it behind her. "Go ahead," she said. "Call me a bitch, a fucking cunt. I've heard them all, trust me. And after you're done, you're going to come back with me. If you stay out here then I'm staying out here too." When he said nothing she sighed, rubbing at her temples. "Just tell me what I have to do to get you to come back."

Daryl thought about it for a minute. "Tell me why you want me to go back with ya," he told her. He watched her and waited for an answer.

Her face fell. "I don't want you to be alone out here."

"I'm just fine on my own."

"I'm not saying you aren't. You are. But I still don't want you on your own. So please, just come back with me. You can help me keep watch and then we'll go inside the house. We can come back out tomorrow to get your tent." She stood up and retrieved his knife, handing back to him. He turned it over in his hand before looking up at her.

He turned his stare to her arm. Alana reached out and grabbed his hand, laying it across her cheek. No fever. "I'm fine. Just like you said I would be. Now please, come back with me."

Daryl stood up, kicking dirt over the small fire he had going. He picked up his crossbow and followed Alana back to camp. Carol was climbing down from the RV to meet them. Alana nodded at her as she took the goggles from her and began climbing up the ladder. Daryl only stared at Carol for a moment before following up after Alana, a hand reached out against her back as she began to climb. Carol turned quickly and went into the RV.

She laid awake for a while and then heard the two of them speaking in hushed voices on top the RV.

"Wilhelm's coming back," Alana said, turning round to see him making his way back. Alana waved a hand at him to just head into the house; she and Daryl would finish the watch. Daryl looked at her arm as she brought it back down to her side. "It's doing much better," she told him. Daryl nodded.

"Ya still taking that medicine I gave ya?" he asked her.

"Yes. Nearly half the bottle is gone already." He told her that she should still take more tomorrow, to be on the safe side. She laughed, but agreed that she would. "I'm fine, really. The scrape wasn't deep enough. Besides, Wilhelm says it must be the bite that infects you. So I'm fine."

"Well you're still gonna take the rest of that bottle."

They were both sitting in the chairs Dale had brought up there. One at the center of the RV and the other at the front end. It was becoming uncomfortable sitting in them. She had to slouch to get any neck and head support, but then her lower back would begin to ache. She turned round to Daryl, asking him to bring his chair over to hers. She sighed when he just looked at her.

"Just bring it over here," she told him. He picked the chair up and placed it next to hers, still facing the opposite direction. When he sat back down his shoulder rested against hers. He turned his head slightly to look at her.

"What was Shane saying to ya earlier?" he asked her, pulling his shoulder away from hers.

"Nothing. He still thinks that if Wilhelm and I leave that we'll take him with us."

Daryl furrowed his brow. "If ya leave?"

"From the way Wilhelm makes it sound, we're not leaving anymore. Says our chances are better if we stay. So unless given a reason to, we're not leaving again." Daryl had no reaction to the news. "If it makes you feel special, I missed spending the night with you compared to being chased by walkers." When she saw the smirk on his face she smiled.

The sat in silence the rest of the night until T-Dog and Glenn came to take over watch. Daryl hesitated at the foot of the RV, watching as Alana headed back to the farmhouse. T-Dog pushed his shoulder, jerking his head over to the Alana. With a scowl Daryl followed after her.

Once out of earshot Glenn asked T-Dog, "So are they…"

"Does it matter? At least he's more pleasant to be around."

Wilhelm had been asleep in the living room on the sofa when they entered the house. Daryl had followed her into the bedroom, neither saying a word as they got into bed. This was ritual for them now. When he woke the next morning Daryl untangled himself from her, slipping his shirt back on under the sheets and grabbing his boots before leaving the room.

There was a meeting at the campfire midday. All the men were there; Rick, Shane, T-Dog, Daryl, Glenn, and Wilhelm. Dale was atop the RV, taking watch. Dale had made it clear from the start that he would not agree with any plan that included killing the boy and so it appeared that the meeting had purposely been planned to coincide with his watch. His name was Randall. He had been there on the farm for two days now. The only people who had seen him since arriving were Hershel, Rick, and Wilhelm. The windows had been closed, curtains drawn and any family pictures were removed from the room he was being kept in. His wrists and ankles were kept restrained. The only time his blindfold was removed was for eating and using the bathroom.

Dale stood atop the RV, his eyes scanning over the farm. It was obvious that he was trying to ignore what was going on at the campfire. He wasn't pleased with being left out. He didn't even agree that the men were leaving the women out of the discussion. He saw how it was Rick and Shane that were leading the conversation. He knew it was safe to bet that Shane was voicing that they should kill Randall; that he was a threat to the group. But he was just a young man. Was the group really ready to become murderers?

Alana walked up to the RV and asked, "Permission to come aboard?" It got a smile out of Dale.

"Permission granted."

Alana chuckled and climbed up to join him. It didn't take her long to see that he was keeping an eye on the men.

"I see you didn't get an invite either," she commented. She sat down in the chair.

Dale asked her what she thought they would decide to do with Randall. She sighed heavily, rubbing lightly at her arm.

"I…do not see him leaving this farm. At least for a while." She could see the look Dale was giving her. "I don't mean that we're going to execute him or anything. But, we can't just let him go. At least not anytime soon. We have no idea how many people are in his group or if they're out there looking for him. That's why Wilhelm said we were going to stay here for a while. We can't take the risk of going out there and running across his group. We have no idea what his group is like or how they would handle learning that we killed some of their group. Well, we do know. Look what happened in town to us."

Dale shook his head. "Why, why can't we just give him some supplies and drive him out a bit and leave him there. At least then we're giving him a chance."

"I'm not disagreeing with you. I believe that's the best plan. But we can't do that just yet. We can't have him finding his group, what if they're able to find their way back here? Look, I'll talk with Wilhelm. He'll tell me what they've discussed."

Dale looked over at the group. Rick was talking and the others were listening. "What does Wilhelm think of all this?" The way he asked, it sounded as if he already had a preferred answer formed in his head.

"Seeing as how he shot at me, Wilhelm wants him dead." Dale's shoulders hunched. "I will speak with him though. He knows that we can't simply dish out executions. I'll speak with him. He'll be our voice in the group."

Dale had had enough of watching the group. He knew that Alana was doing her best to tell him what he wanted to hear and that to a certain extent she agreed with him. But still he feared what the group would become based on the decisions made about Randall.

Later that day Dale and Alana, along with the rest of the group, found out about the decision as to what to do with Randall. Rick and Shane were going to drive Randall out a few miles and leave him. He'd be given supplies to last him a couple of days if he rationed it. The plan was still to wait two weeks before doing so. He would be kept in the room in the house. Door locked at all times. Though it wasn't needed, Hershel has put a makeshift splint on his leg; that way he wouldn't be able to move around much. Wouldn't be able to try and escape.

The entire group was told of Wilhelm's plans. To empty out the town so that anyone passing through wouldn't bother to stay around for long. A schedule for the rest of the week was set up for watches and patrols. There would be three patrols during the day. Morning, afternoon, and right before dinner. A simple walk around the farm. At some point everyday someone would head out in a car to check the further boundaries. Take one or two other people with them just in case. Everyone was put on the schedule except Lori, Beth, Patricia, Carl, and Carol. Carl wasn't happy with being left out and so Wilhelm told him that he would be able to take watch on the RV whenever someone needed a break.

It was decided that the next day Wilhelm, T-Dog, and Glenn would head into the town and collect everything they could. Their first two stops would be the bar and pharmacy. The alcohol could be used if fire was needed in some situation or if there were any wounds in need of cleaning. At the last minute it was added that Daryl and Jimmy would stake out on the roofs in town to keep an eye out in case they had any visitors. At the new decision Wilhelm said they would take two cars then. After breakfast the next day they would head out and continue making trips back and forth until midday.

Alana spent the rest of the day up on the RV with Dale. When she had said she was going to go help Daryl take his tent down and come back to the camp Andrea was passing by. She told her that Daryl had gone off into the woods. Said he had picked up a deer's trail.

He didn't return until evening. No deer. Everyone had already eaten. He went back to his tent and started the small fire. He skinned a few of the squirrels he had caught and had those for dinner. It wasn't until the first watch of the night that Daryl came towards the camp. He had watch with Alana. When he got to the RV she was already there, sitting cross-legged in one of the chairs. He climbed up and joined her.

"Still no Bambi?" she asked him after a while of silence. He grunted at her and she laughed.

He had moved his chair so that he was once again sitting next to her, shoulders brushing against each other.

"Did you see any tracks?" He knew she meant of walkers or other people. He shook his head. "Did you see Bambi?" She snickered. "I'm sorry. Are you sure he wasn't just a figment of your imagination?" She laughed quietly.

Daryl thought on her words. His imagination. It reminded him of the day he had found Sophia's doll. He'd never told anyone that he had seen Merle too. There was no reason to tell anyone, he wasn't real. What was the point? They would just think he was crazy and stupid, just like they thought about his chupacabra. But now part of him wanted to tell Alana. Would that stop her from laughing at him? Or would she laugh even more? He could avoid the possible embarrassment by saying nothing at all. But part of him wanted to have that chance at embarrassment. Part of him still wanted to see if things could be ruined between them, if things weren't as perfect as he saw them to be. He wanted there to be flaws.

"I saw Merle."

He had barely made the words audible, but from the tension her body took on beside him he knew she had heard him. Her eyes were wide.

"What? You, you saw him? Your brother? Where was he?" She stood up, scanning the farm. She took a step towards the ladder.

"What are ya doing?"

"Where did you see him? What direction?"

"What do ya care?"

"He's your brother. We can't just leave him out there…oh….was he..."

Daryl shook his head. "I didn't see him today. It was that day I found the doll."

Alana looked confused. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it wasn't really him. I was seeing things. Musta been all the shock from the fall and getting a fucking arrow in my side." He stared at Alana as she furrowed her brow, slowly sitting back down. "Were ya really gonna go out there an' find him?"

She nodded. "He's your brother. Of course I would."

Daryl fidgeted in his chair. "Why?"

Alana stood up. "I'm going to walk the back of the farm." He grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, partly upset that she hadn't answered him.

"I'll go." She relented, but he kept her wrist in his hand. He let go as he walked towards the ladder. She called out to him, standing up and grabbing the extra pair of goggles. He frowned. "I'm not wearing those."

"Just take them. You'll be able to search the woods without having to go in." She pushed them into his chest and he took them with a sigh. "Thank you."

"Whatever."

Alana watched him walk away to the back of the farm. Part of her wanted to climb down and run after him. The other part kept telling her there was no point in getting attached.

That first part reminded her it was already too late.


	25. Chapter 25

**Whew! Finally able to put up another chapter. End of the semester is coming near and I don't have as much time as I'd want to write. But come mid May I'll be free! Yay! And then I'll be able to write more regularly. **

**I'll try to get started on the next chapter this week; still working out what all will happen in the coming couple chapters. **

It took Daryl no time at all to walk the farm and soon he rejoined Alana atop the RV. She was curled up in her chair. They spent the rest of their watch in silence. When it was time Alana climbed down first and went to wake Glenn and then Maggie. They had the next watch. Alana paused for a moment after reaching the ground. Daryl had come down before her and was already trekking back to his tent. They still hadn't taken it down and brought it back to the rest of the group. Seemed like now there wasn't much time to do what one felt like doing; having freetime meant something wasn't getting done. Both Maggie and Glenn could tell that something had happened between Alana and Daryl. Before either could say anything to Alana she smiled at them and then walked off to the house.

Wilhelm was fast asleep in the room. Alana was thankful that when her brother slept he didn't sprawl out and take up the entire bed. He was practically clinging to the side of the bed, as if ready to slip right out and into action. Even in his sleep he was preparing, planning for what came next.

It took her longer than usual to fall asleep. At one point in the night she rose and went to the window, peeking out from behind the curtains. It was faint, more than faint, but she could just make out a speck of light coming from what could only be Daryl's tent. She wondered if he had been awake all this time or if he had just left it on. She questioned if she should go out there and what it would take to mend whatever it was that she had apparently broken. Broken by remaining silent. Alana still couldn't figure out what there was between them, couldn't put a proper definition on it. There was a part of her that even thought there was no term for them. Was there really a 'them' to begin with? She quickly became lost in her thoughts, wondering what it was that went through Daryl's head. Wondered what went through her own head. There was a strange calmness that came about her when she was around him, different than what she felt when near her brother. She knew for certain that it would be a lie if she said Daryl was like a second brother to her. When she was with him, Alana didn't bother to question what they were; she saw no need for it. But when they were apart, she couldn't keep her head from spinning into madness over 'them.'

She grew tired then and retreated back to the bed, Wilhelm still clutching to his side. There would not be much time in the morning before the group would leave to head into the town and clear it out. Alana decided that she would speak with Daryl afterwards, in the hopes of learning where they stood with one another.

And she was wise to wait till after their return to speak with him for she woke late and Wilhelm had not bothered to rouse her. He had at least woken her in time to eat breakfast before it had a chance to get cold; T-Dog had made scrambled eggs with diced potatoes mixed in it along with some onion. Alana sat with Dale while Wilhelm sat with those who would be going out that day into town. They were discussing the finer points of their plan.

A full sweep would be made of the town. Daryl and Jimmy would be stationed atop roofs at opposite sides near the main road through. The cars would be parked in the middle, just outside of the pharmacy. Wilhelm and Glenn would make trips into the buildings and to the car while T-Dog stood watch outside, just in case any walkers came through the alleys that Daryl or Jimmy couldn't see. They would be taking Hershel's suburban; it was the biggest vehicle available; hopefully it wouldn't take many trips to finish the task. Jimmy and Daryl would be taking the old station wagon.

Alana and Andrea had first patrol for the day; they had decided to wait on it until after seeing the men off. The men were wished the best of luck, told to return as soon as possible. The group was tense, wary of what, of who, the men might run into. To the best of their ability, the group tried to cover up those worries, to see this as just another run into town. If they willed it to be just another run, then perhaps that would be enough to keep them safe. It wouldn't, but it was something small to give them comfort if only for a moment.

The men were given enough supplies to last for three days if something went wrong and couldn't return immediately to the farm. If a group of walkers came through that was too large for them to handle they'd be forced to lead them away from the farm and then take the right moment to swing around and return. T-Dog and Jimmy hopped behind the wheels of the two cars while Glenn took to the backseat of the former's. Wilhelm walked around the back of the suburban and pulled Alana into his chest, squeezing her shoulder.

"_I'll be back in no time. Keep an eye on everyone, yeah?"_

Alana nodded. Wilhelm kissed her forehead and then headed to the passenger seat.

Alana looked around to see Daryl heading towards the station wagon. He had his crossbow slung over his shoulder and the tube of arrows slung over the other. She wasn't sure what sort of look was on her face, one of regret? A want, a need, to say something? Whatever it was, it slowed Daryl down as he came up to her. He had intended to keep walking towards the station wagon, but that look made him slow his step and stop before her.

"You come back, yeah?" she told him, her hands in her back pockets. Daryl squinted in the sunlight. He could see the uncertainness in the way she stood. She looked the same as she had that day in the bathroom when she hugged him. His body was preparing to tense, fearing that she would hug him once more, and this time in front of the others. But the hug never came.

"Thought, maybe, when you get back we could have a talk?" Daryl looked around to see that no one was paying them any attention and so he nodded to her question. Alana smiled slightly. "Just make sure you come back to me, yeah?"

_To me._ The words hung in the air and Daryl breathed them in; he could feel as they clung to his insides before settling heavily in his chest.

Alana stepped aside to let him pass and as he did she reached out, rubbing the middle of his back with a strength that stayed with him. As the cars drove off Alana could see him peering out the side mirror, looking back at her. She raised her hand with frailness and waved.

When Alana could no longer see his eyes looking back at her she headed back into the house to grab her rifle, machete, and binoculars. Andrea was sitting out on the porch when she came back out.

"Ready?" Andrea asked excitedly; she was glad to finally be given a larger, more important role in the group. At first she wasn't fully pleased that her partner for patrol was Alana. Since the incident with her shooting Daryl her relationship with Alana hadn't been the same. And then the barn…both she and Wilhelm had made it clear they disapproved of it.

Andrea showed Alana a pack slung across her shoulder with water inside. Alana smiled and took one of the offered bottles. She took a sip as they headed down the steps. Andrea was relieved by this; her initial worry was that Alana would give her the cold eye. She had thought of apologizing, trying to set things right between the two of them. But the way that Alana responded to her, she felt that there was no need to; that it was in the past now.

The two of them talked here and there during their walk, stopping occasionally to look around, peek in to the woods with the binoculars.

"How long were you a sniper in the army?" Andrea asked Alana, staring with admiration towards her rifle.

"Oh, four years? Yes, four I think. Likely just under, I had to go through specialty training for it and so that took up some time."

"But you started out as a doctor?"

"Well yes, I'm not sure that would be the proper term, more of a nurse I suppose. I never did major surgeries, I assisted in them, but never led them."

Andrea smiled. "But I'm sure you could do an amputation if needed," she joked. Alana laughed and bobbed her head from side to side. She said that she likely could. She had assisted in many of those. Albeit the environment was much different now.

The two women had rounded the back side of the farm and were now covering the front. Alana saw that Andrea was watching Shane, who was sitting atop the RV. "I don't understand why they didn't take him with them," she said.

"Well, we still need some muscle back here," Alana suggested. "And he is a bit of a wild one, never can be sure what he might do."

"He's just trying to protect the group."

Alana said nothing. During her many sittings with Dale atop the RV the two had spoken at length about Shane. And Andrea. Dale was worried that she had developed a poor attachment to Shane and that it was blinding her to certain aspects of his character. Alana agreed with him, but also said that there was very little to be done about it. To confront Andrea about Shane would only push her further away.

"I'm happy you and Wilhelm came back," Andrea told her, changing the subject.

"It's for the best right now."

"You know, I have to admit, the group has never been this organized. With the patrols, looking for supplies."

"It keeps everyone busy," Alana said. "Keeps us on our toes."

Andrea laughed, a line of irony cutting through it. "Well not all of us."

She was referring to Carol and Lori. Alana had to admit that she too took issue over Carol and Lori not taking on some sort of role that required them to lift their own weight. After a while washing clothes and preparing food became transparent and one could see through to what the two women were. Burdens. And in this world the wise chose not to become burdens.

Alana thought on the comment. "…I don't think I'd feel much safe with those two," she quipped. "Has Carol even ever shot a gun?" She laughed as Andrea shook her head and bit back a large grin.

"I bet right now they're fussing over what sides to make with dinner tonight," Andrea mused. The two of them laughed like young girls at play.

When they returned to the camp Andrea made wicked eyes at Alana, jerking them suddenly over to Lori and Carol who were washing clothes. The two hid wide smiles behind their hands and masked laughs with coughing.

Later in the day Alana rejoined with Andrea and drove around the further edges of the farm, both becoming itchy remaining idle on the farm. When they left Shane was still atop the RV. Dale had come by to take over the watch, but Shane had just shooed him off. It seemed that he wasn't too happy about being left behind while the others went into town. Alana didn't doubt that the only thing keeping him from throwing a full on tantrum was that Rick had stayed behind as well.

On the outskirts of the farm Alana and Andrea came across three walkers. They were stuck in the fencing. Alana stopped the car some five hundred feet away from the walkers. She got out and handed her rifle over to Andrea.

Without saying a word Andrea eagerly took it. Alana stood back and watched. She gave insight where it was needed, but allowed Andrea her space. She smiled at the ecstatic grin on Andrea's face when she nailed the first walker in the head. The second and third followed suit.

"We better let Hershel know that fence needs some repairs," Alana told her as they headed over to look at the walkers. Decomposition had set in heavily on all three; perhaps they had been bitten early on. "Didn't put up much of a fight, did they?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Alana said, pushing one of the bodies over, "they saw us, but they didn't put much effort into getting to us. Looking right at us, but…it was like they, I don't know. Like they didn't have the energy to come after us." Just then the chest cavity of the second walker caved in. The two women stepped back, covering their mouths and noses.

"These things are rotting," Alana told Andrea. "May be taking them longer than what's normal, but they're rotting. Bet this heat hasn't been helping either."

"Maybe all we gotta do really is wait this whole thing out. They all gotta rot away at some point right?" Alana remained silent. "What?"

"Winter is coming."

"And?"

Alana sighed. "The cold may slow the walkers down, but the snow is going to hide them. Come on, let's head back."

Andrea followed Alana back to the car. When they got back to the farm Andrea went to find Hershel and let him know about the fence.

It was just around lunchtime when the men returned to the farm from their first run into town. Glenn said they only came across four walkers. The cars were completely loaded with supplies. When the back of the suburban was opened the group couldn't help but snicker at all the liquor bottles. Behind the bottles were bags filled with the remaining medications from the pharmacy. Hershel called Alana over and said he would need her help going through all the bottles and sorting them. Rick said all the liquor would be placed in Hershel's house for the time being. He had spoken it over with him earlier and the older man agreed that in his house was the best place; Rick had felt that there was no need to worry over it. In the second car was practically the rest of the pharmacy; anything that hadn't been taken yet was in the car. Everything was taken out and laid on the porch; the group picked over the items and took whatever they needed.

Once the cars were emptied the men left without saying much. Alana turned around to see Wilhelm and Daryl getting back in to the cars while she stood on the porch, holding a couple bags of medications. Daryl caught her eye and nodded towards her. She nodded back, then headed into the house after Hershel. They dumped the bags of medications on the dining table and began sorting through them. When they were halfway through the mounds of bottles Rick came in and took a seat at the table with them. From the look on his face Alana could tell he was about to run an idea past them.

And she was right. Rick asked Hershel about the nearby towns. The larger ones. He was wanting to know of any stores. But Hershel only shook his head.

"There's a Wal-Mart some ways off, but a store that big, that well known in the area. Doubt there's much left over by now. And I doubt it'd be easy walking in and out of that place," Hershel told him.

Rick hung his head. "That's what I thought you would say."

"In order to go there, we'd have to take a large number of us and that would leave the farm vulnerable," Alana said. "Our best bet right now is heading back to those neighborhoods and go through the houses one by one. We can head back to that one that Shane and Andrea had gone to. If we set it up just right, we won't have anything to worry about." Alana picked three bottles and set them up on the table. "We place one car at the entrance of the neighborhood on watch. Another car moves along checking the houses. And when the car starts getting further in, we set up a third car as a midpoint."

"We still have those walkies. We could use those to keep contact," added Rick. He was thinking the plan over and agreeing that it was the best plan they had. "Alright then. Once the others get back we'll run it by them."

"You plan on heading out there tomorrow?" Hershel asked.

Rick shook his head. "Likely that the ones that went today will want to go on this one as well. Tomorrow everyone will stay on the farm. Then we'll head out the next day. If you don't mind Alana, I'd like you and Wilhelm to head out first, ahead of the rest of us. Take a look at things. If Randall's group is holding up in those houses we'll be wide open." Alana nodded. "And since Shane and Andrea have already been there, one of them should come with us. They'll be able to tell us if anything looks out of place, if there's any cars that shouldn't be there." Alana's nod wasn't as confident this time around. "We'll figure out who all will go after the others get back." With that Rick stood up and left.

Alana spoke to Hershel while sorting the bottles of medications. "We'll take Shane with us. He'll be easier to handle out there than if we left him here." Hershel agreed. "How's our houseguest doing?" she asked him in reference to Randall.

"Oh, he makes the same pleas every time I head in there. Wound's not as bad as I thought it would be. Reckon we'll be able to let him go pretty soon, perhaps in another week."

"Can't say I'll be sad to see him go."

Alana helped Hershel store all the alcohol in the house. A majority of it was put in the kitchen while the rest was stuffed in drawers and cabinets. The medications were placed into different bags and labeled then stored away. When all that was done Alana left the house, standing on the porch, unsure of what to do next. She pulled out her pocketknife and turned it over in her hand. Looking out towards Daryl's tent she got an idea.

When Shane looked out over the farm with the binoculars he could see her sitting against the stonewall, Daryl's tent just to her right. Looked like she had a twig in her hands and she was running the knife's blade over it. She routinely picked up one that Daryl had already finished, comparing hers to it. When she finished her crude arrow Alana picked up another twig and started the process all over.

Alana wasn't sure how much time had gone by when she looked up to see Rick walking her way. She kept her head down, focusing on her current arrow. When his shadow came over her Alana finally stopped and looked back up at Rick. Just by the way he sighed and crouched down in front her Alana knew she didn't want to hear whatever it was that he had to say.

"Didn't want to tell anyone, knew it would get them panicking. But I gave Wilhelm a walkie. Told him to turn it on at every hour to check in. That way, if something happened we would know right away and could make a decision, whether to send someone out or not."

Alana twisted the end of the arrow into the dirt. Glancing at her watch she saw that it was past 4PM.

"Wilhelm didn't turn the radio on?" she asked, though it came out as more of a statement.

Rick shook his head. "No, he radioed. Said they ran into some trouble. Walkers. He didn't say how many, but I'm guessing it was more than they could handle. I don't know where they're holing up, if they're still in the town or if they've driven off, try to lure the walkers away from here. Now I haven't told anyone else except Shane. He thinks we should stay here and wait it out. If they're not back by tomorrow then we'll head out and look for them. I need to know what you think."

Rick tried to make out the emotions running over Alana's face, but there were none. There was a flicker of something when he had first begun speaking, but then it was like a wall crashing down over her, separating her from his words.

"We'll tell the others. We keep turning the walkie on every hour. If need be, no one will sleep tonight. With a bulk of our strength gone we'll all have to sleep with one eye open. And if the others aren't back by morning…" Alana began thinking. Who would she take with her? It would be foolish to send more than two people out to look for the others. It was foolish enough sending just one.

"…Shane and I will go looking for them."


	26. Chapter 26

**Just had to get this chapter posted as soon as possible! I kept messing about with the ending and so wanted to post it before I decided to change it all up again. Enjoy!**

The group of men were all seated inside the living room of a house in the development Andrea and Shane had been to. The windows had been boarded up by someone who had come through before them. Wilhelm and Daryl had checked upstairs. The entire place looked undisturbed, normal even, aside from the boarded up windows. Whoever had been there before them had left in a hurry it seemed. It was evident that these past people had packed, but they left plenty behind. While the walkers roamed around outside the group moved slowly through the house, gathering whatever they thought could be of use. Glenn had found two children's backpacks in the hallway closet. He halted for a moment as he unzipped them and dumped out the contents before heading through the house to collect things.

They had driven off from the town when a large group of walkers had turned up. Wilhelm had made the call that they should hole up in one of the houses and wait for the walkers to go away. The plan had been to head into the house nearest to the road, but there were too many walkers nearby; it would have taken just one of them seeing the group and the whole lot would have come crashing down on the house. So they drove further in than intended, headlights turned off. T-Dog had seen the house with the boarded up windows and everyone made the silent decision that that would have to be where they stood their ground. They left all the supplies in the cars, only bringing the weapons with them.

The group would make a run for it as soon as the walkers had gone by. At least with them being so far into the housing development hopefully the walkers would just go on by past them, continue on down the main road.

Well the group had come by. And they had stayed. Glenn had heard it first, some dog barking. It caught the attention of the walkers and they began filtering through the streets. It didn't take long before the walkers that had been looming about in the various houses to come out and begin their slow chase of the dog. Jimmy had seen it go running off down towards the main road outside of the housing. Unfortunately the walkers were too slow and didn't see where it had gone.

So they stayed in the streets, shuffling every which way. And the group of survivors were left to stay put in the house, waiting for a window to open up for escape.

Glenn sat in a chair just in front of the door of the house. He would get up from time to time and look through the peephole. He could see the walkers shambling about outside. He was thankful that so far none had even come into the yard. T-Dog was at the opposite side of the living room. There was a window boarded up with a thick blanket hung over it. There was the tiniest sliver of window exposed and he would stare through it. The backyard was empty. Each was separated by a tall wooden fence that had yet to be knocked down by the walkers. Jimmy stood inside the doorway to the kitchen. There was a side door in there, but whoever was there before them had moved the refrigerator in front of it and the small window above the kitchen sink had been blocked with a large panel of the wood. Wilhelm and Daryl sat on the couch at the center of the living room.

Since the walkers had come upon them back in town they had spoken so few words. All it took was a nod or a jerk of the head in a direction for them to know what needed to be done. It was on their way from the town that Wilhelm had radioed Rick to let him know that there was going to be a change of plans. They'd have to wait things out for a bit, so as to not bring the walkers back with them to the farm. Once secured in the house he had every intent to radio Rick back, to let him know that they were safe for the time being. He had been riding with Glenn in the station wagon and with Daryl. Even in the darkness of the night Wilhelm could see Glenn's face turn deep red as he stumbled out of the car, dropping the walkie. The crackle of it breaking echoed in his ears. Daryl pulled Glenn up as he came up behind him, pulling him away as he tried to pick up the walkie. When they were all inside it was seen that Jimmy had picked it up. He stood there in the doorway of the kitchen, trying to piece the thing back together. They all knew it was pointless, but none of them voiced the thought. None of them were really bothered with the fact that they couldn't get in touch with the farm; Wilhelm had at least been able to get that last radio call in to Rick.

An hour went by and Wilhelm stood from the couch and headed for the upstairs. The others couldn't even hear the floorboards creak as he spent what seemed like ages up there. They all turned to watch as he came slowly back down the stairs with his arms full. He came and set the items down on the coffee table. Daryl stared down at the stuff. He picked up somewhat large box and read the cover.

"BioLite CampStove," he said aloud, turning the box round in his hands. "Gonna make us some dinner?"

Wilhelm took the box from Daryl's hands and held it up as he looked over it. "It makes electricity. The heat from the fire generates power. So you can charge things." T-Dog asked why he'd need to charge anything. Wilhelm then put the box down and held up a softcase; he pulled a portable DVD player from it. He set it back down and moved over to the entertainment center. He ran a finger over the various DVD's then eagerly started pulling some out. Daryl looked down as he set them on the coffee table to see that he had pulled out a couple of Doctor Who seasons. "Alana and father used to watch these all the time," Wilhelm said to no one in particular. Daryl made the comment that Wilhelm best be planning to carry all these things himself. Wilhelm chuckled.

Wilhelm disappeared again, going down the hallway. He came back and headed upstairs. A few minutes later he returned with a roll of pale blue wrapping paper and a tape dispenser. He sat down next to Daryl, but stood up again, heading into the kitchen where he found a pair of scissors. All eyes were on him as he began to slowly cut the wrapping paper. He was carefully folding the paper round the CampStove when he looked up at everyone. He sighed and rested his arms on his knees.

"Today is Alana'a birthday." The group's eyes became slightly big, sheepish even; no one was really sure how to react to birthdays now. "Her second birthday." Everyone stared at him questioningly. He knew he'd have to explain things. "Her first birthday was…two months ago. But we never really celebrated it. We always waited till, today."

"Why?" Glenn asked.

"Alana was born early. The doctors didn't think that she would make it. So, she spent two months in the hospital, all these, tubes running in and out of her. Mother couldn't hold her, spent most of the time in this…plastic box. Our parents didn't even name her. Spent two months being called 'Schumacher Baby.' All that time, she never made a sound. Rarely opened her eyes. Rarely moved. Then, two months later, she screamed. Father always said that was the day she truly came into the world. So that was when we celebrated her birthday."

He looked back down at the package and continued wrapping. When he finished wrapping the CampStove, DVD player, and Doctor Who seasons, Glenn motioned for him to come over to him. He did and Glenn handed over his gun. Wilhelm took his spot as Glenn headed over to the entertainment center. He pulled out a couple of DVD's and came over to set them down on the coffee table. He headed upstairs. After a couple of minutes he came downstairs with three other rolls of wrapping paper. Sitting down next to Daryl, Glenn began wrapping the three DVD's he had picked out for Alana. Daryl looked over the titles; The Crow, season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Speed Racer. When he was done wrapping his gifts Glenn went and grabbed a bed sheet. He set the presents in the center in a corner of living room.

Afterwards Glenn took T-Dog's place while the latter went upstairs. He came back with waist-length heavy coat. Daryl looked it over, seeing the North Face logo on it. T-Dog zipped the coat up and folded it. He pulled some show laces from his pockets that he had taken from the master bedroom's closet. He used them to tie the coat up and then wrapped it up.

Jimmy came next. He too went upstairs. He came back down with a grey lumberjack hat. The others laughed quietly at his choice of gift. At the same time they knew that Alana would likely wear the stupid thing every chance she got.

Daryl was last. He sat there for a moment after Jimmy had wrapped his gift. He wasn't comfortable getting up and looking through the house for a present for Alana. What the hell was he supposed to get her anyways? He would have preferred to just sit right there and not get up, not pick anything out for her. But what would he do when they got back to the farm and he was the only one in the group that hadn't brought her back anything?

For his sake no one looked at him as he got up and began moving through the house, looking for something to give Alana. Since everyone else had gone upstairs he did the same. He went into one of the bedrooms. It had belonged to a boy. Looking at the walls, Daryl shook his head at the posters on the walls; Star Wars, Mass Effect, Metalocalypse. There were shelves of books on one wall and so Daryl headed over there. He looked over the spines, none of the titles looking familiar to him. Why would they? He didn't have a clue if any of the books were any good or just a bunch of nerd crap. He paused at the top shelf. He pulled a book out. Name looked familiar. George R. R. Martin. Why did he know that name? He read the back cover._ _A Clash of Kings._ _Daryl scoffed. He wondered if the midget was in this book as well. He looked back up at the other books and saw that there were three more books; they all seemed to be part of a series. Daryl grabbed them all.

He headed out the room and down the hall into the master bedroom. He stood there for a moment, just staring. He scratched at the back of his head. What the hell was he doing in there? He had the books, that was good enough. And yet Daryl found himself heading over to the dressers, puling the drawers out. He set the books down and took out an ornate wooden box. Popping the lid open he looked down on various jewelry. He stuck his tongue out between his lips, wondering what the hell he was still doing there. He should just grab the books and head back downstairs.

But he kept standing there. Staring down at the box. There were pockets, for rings, and there was a plain silver band in the corner. Daryl stuffed it in his pocket and left the room.

He wrapped the books up, one by one, and placed them on the bed sheet. Wilhelm helped him pull together the edges of the sheet and tie a knot. Daryl noticed Jimmy coming from the kitchen; he had some boxes of cake mix. He said that Patricia knew how to make frosting.

With the presents ready to go, everyone came to stillness again. Waiting around the edges of the room, peeking out to see if the walkers had gone away yet. The decision was made that as soon as the number of visible walkers came down to ten they would make a run for it. Ten would be just few enough for them to take care of. Wilhelm and Daryl, being the best shots, would head out first and cover the rest as they made their way back to the cars.

Everyone hunkered down and waited.

Tensions were high on the farm after Rick broke the news about the group. Everyone ate in silence that night. Rick continued checking the walkie every hour, but each time all he got back in return was silence. Alana had eaten quickly and quietly that night. She excused herself, saying that she was going to prepare a pack for tomorrow. She was laying the packs of weapons on the hood of their car, picking out what she take, when Shane approached her.

"Rick says you and me gonna head out tomorrow," he told her, though he already knew that she was aware of the situation and that it was she who had picked him for the rescue trip.

"Yeah," she said, setting items aside. She grabbed a backpack from the trunk of the car and began putting things in it. "We can head out after breakfast. May be that they're just going to wait till sunlight to head back. If that's the case, waiting till after breakfast will give them plenty of time to get back here or at least for us to meet them on the way."

Shane nodded. He stepped forward to stand beside her. "We'll head into town first. If they didn't head back this way then must have gone in the other direction." Alana agreed. "We can go by that housing development, maybe they stopped there."

Alana zipped the packs up and slung the backpack over her good shoulder. She turned and faced Shane. He looked like he wanted to comfort her, but wasn't sure how to do so. Just saying that things would be all right had become cliché in this new world. "Best get some sleep," she told him. "The others are going to take up watch so we can get a decent night's rest."

"Right," said Shane. "See ya in the morning." He nodded at her as she headed into the house.

Once inside Alana took slow steps to the bedroom. She creaked the door open and stared at the emptiness of the room. She looked around, as if waiting for Wilhelm and Daryl to just materialize. But she knew they wouldn't be showing up. And so she set the backpack in the chair, walked over to the side of the bed where Wilhelm and Daryl slept, and crawled under the sheets. It felt as if every hour she woke up, waiting for someone to burst into the room and tell her that the group was safe, that they were back. She spent the night staring at the door, waiting for Wilhelm to walk through. For Daryl to walk through.

Wilhelm stared out the peephole of the door while Glenn and T-Dog looked out the front window. Wilhelm looked behind him to Daryl.

"Ready little brother?" he asked him. Daryl paused a moment, but nodded to Wilhelm.

"Right," Wilhelm said, looking round to the others. "We'll take out the closest ones, then the rest of you make for the cars." Everyone nodded, grips tightening on their weapons. Loading the crossbow would take too much time and so Daryl was carrying it on his back while he held onto one of the sniper rifles.

The door was pulled quietly back and Wilhelm and Daryl rushed out, hunched over as close to the ground as they could get. They both made for different cars on the street. The others back in the house squinted, trying to see in the dark. They heard a hoarse "Now!" and they came running out, Jimmy with the bundle of presents on his back. They rushed to the cars and got in quickly. Daryl and Wilhelm were still taking out walkers. Daryl rounded one vehicle and looked for Wilhelm. He could hear the snarls of walkers getting closer.

There was the soft pop of the rifle going off and then Wilhelm came running over from behind two vehicles. "Get in the cars," he whispered over to Daryl. They both jumped into the station wagon with T-Dog.

The cars took off without the headlights as quickly as the men were willing to go. They turned back onto the main road and began heading back to the farm. Not far from the houses they stopped the cars and got out, looking back to see if any walkers were following them. They stayed put for perhaps five minutes.

No walkers caught up with them.

With sighs of relief they got back into the cars and finished heading to the farm.

Daryl and Wilhelm were sitting in the back of the station wagon, slinked down in the seats. Wilhelm looked over at Daryl and gave him a nod of the head. Wilhelm pulled himself forward towards the driver's seat.

"Speed up, get next to them. We need to stop," he told Glenn. He began to question Wilhelm, but he only quieted Glenn and told him to please speed up. He did.

Wilhelm waved over at T-Dog who was driving the suburban. The two cars stopped just short of the turn to head towards the farm. After Wilhelm got out, everyone else did so too.

"What's going on?" Jimmy asked, the last to step up towards the group.

Wilhelm shifted his weight to one leg, hands on his hips. He looked to his side, to Daryl. Reaching into his back pocket Wilhelm took out his wallet. He opened it up, flipping through the pictures. He paused and showed one to the group.

"My wife, Sabine. And our little girls, Maria and Samantha," he said, pointing at each. "They were in England, visiting her mother when everything happened." For the first time the group noticed the ring on his hand. A thick, silver band. Wilhelm took a deep sniff and rubbed at his face with the back of his arm.

"Wilhelm…" Glenn said quietly, his face streaked with dread and confusion.

Wilhelm flipped to another picture. He pulled two out. Holding them up he showed them to the group. They were pictures of him and Alana when they were little. He turned then to Daryl.

"Give this to her, yeah?" he said as he held the wallet out to Daryl. He held the picture of Alana in his other hand, holding it up. "I'm going to keep this," he said with a weak smile.

"Man, what are you doing?" T-Dog asked as Daryl limply took hold of the wallet.

Wilhelm pulled up the leg of his pant on his right. The pants were black, but the blood could be seen, soaking up into the white socks he was wearing as they poked up just above his boots.

Something broke within the group at the sight. "Those ankle-biters," he said with a cruel chuckle. "Got to watch out for them."

Glenn was exasperated, unable to find the words to say anything. He wanted Wilhelm to come back with them. They could clean the wound. They could…they could…

"Make sure she opens her presents, alright?" Wilhelm said to Jimmy. The young man could only nod with a blank stare on his face. "Just keep her busy."

"Here," Wilhelm said to T-Dog, handing over his pocketknife and handgun. He patted down his pockets, making sure he hadn't left anything behind that the others could use. He took a step back from them, nodding his head in the direction of the farm. "Now get going. Get back to the farm. I'll be alright, really, I will. Just go."

"Do you…" T-Dog began to ask. Wilhelm shook his head.

He looked down the road. "I think I'll just, I'll just go for a walk." Jimmy ran over to the suburban and came back with a baseball bat, handing it over to Wilhelm. It would be pointless soon, but Wilhelm accepted it nonetheless.

Wilhelm stepped forward again, reaching his arm out to say goodbye to each of them. Jimmy had hung onto him loosely. T-Dog gave his back a strong thump. Glenn had clung to him, like he was trying to pull him back to the group.

The others began getting back into the cars as Wilhelm turned to Daryl. He was still standing there, his head down, staring at the wallet in his hand. Wilhelm embraced him, held onto him like a sibling. He chuckled. Daryl looked at him cruelly. What humor was to be found in all this?

"She's your problem now," Wilhelm told him. "Come on, back in the car." He pushed Daryl to the station wagon. They stood at the door. "Don't let her come looking for me. Take care of her for me, yeah?" Daryl nodded, a confused scowl on his face. Wilhelm looked up ahead to Glenn who was turned around in the driver's seat. "You tell her I said she's to do whatever Daryl tells her." Glenn nodded.

Daryl got into the car and Wilhelm shut the door. Both Daryl and Glen rolled their windows down. "Here," Wilhelm said suddenly. He pulled his wedding band off his finger and held it out to Daryl. The younger man turned it in his hand. Wilhelm took a step back and the cars started up. He began slowly walking forward then lurched forward back to the car.

Daryl was scared. Scared of the fear in Wilhelm's face. That fear one gets when they realize they've forgotten something, or they're trying to remember what it was that they forgot.

"She's scared of thunderstorms," Wilhelm said. "She can't sleep during one. She'll stay awake until it passes. No one has to stay up with her, she…just needs someone to be there and she'll be okay."

Daryl nodded.

"I'll keep her company."

Wilhelm smiled though it could be seen that it pained him.

"Right," he said, tapping the car. "Get going." He looked back up at Daryl. "See you around, little brother." He turned away as the cars took off. He kept his head down as he walked past the turn off to the farm, the baseball bat swung over his shoulder. He shuddered as the fever began to course through him.

It was past 4AM when the group pulled up to the farm. They had kept the headlights off, but Dale saw them coming through the goggles and he began running round, waking everyone up.

Alana shot up from the bed. She pulled her boots on and rushed outside, joining the others. As the men got out from the cars they were greeted with deep embraces from the rest of the group. Even Dale came up to Daryl to hug him with one arm. Dale, as well as the others, quickly saw the blank expressions on the group's faces.

Alana was moving slowly down from the porch, approaching the cars. Looking at all the faces, she couldn't see Wilhelm. The others all took a step back, as if Wilhelm was hiding behind one of them.

Alana ran a hand through her hair, her eyes tight as she stared at the ground. She could feel everyone staring at her. She took a deep breath through her nose. The group of men turned to Daryl who was still standing back at the station wagon. With slumped shoulders he came forward. Alana fought to stay her ground as he approached her. She looked to his hands. Wilhelm's wallet was in them. He held it out to her. With a tensed hand she took it from him, flipping it open to see that he had kept the picture of her.

She nodded her head solemnly, unwilling to look up at anyone, not even Daryl. She made her face rigid.

"You're all probably tired," she said in a quiet voice. "You should get some rest. We have the watch covered for the night."

Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Carl had tried to come towards her. She could hear his sobs. Lori held him back, holding him to her as she rubbed his back. They all parted for her as she moved. As she passed Rick he raised a hand twitchingly, wanting to give her some sort of comfort. She heard Carol's quiet sniffles. She heard the numerous gulps of sorrow from the group.

"Wait," Glenn called out. She turned back to him, her face void. He looked at the others that had gone out with Wilhelm. "We…"

"He told us 'bout your birthday. Second birthday," T-Dog said to her. Alana lifted her brow at the words, trying to tense her eyes so that the tears would be held back.

"We all got you something," Jimmy added.

Glenn walked over to the suburban and pulled the bundle out. He looked at Alana and then over to the house. Alana began heading inside. Rick held everyone else back as the group of men followed after her.

Dale slowly went back to the RV and was joined by Rick. The others went back to their tents where each mourned the loss of Wilhelm in their own way.

Inside the house, Hershel and his family passed by Alana and the group. Hershel ushered everyone back to their bedrooms, pausing at the foot of the stairs to look back at Alana. He hung his head and continued upstairs.

Alana was sitting in the armchair. Daryl stood off to the side of her, only daring to steal side glances at her. The others were all seated on the couch.

With unsteady hands Glenn undid the knot in the bed sheet. He hesitated, unsure what gifts to give to her first. Jimmy leaned forward and gave her his gift.

In silence she opened the package. Glenn couldn't help but smile sadly at how she carefully took the wrapping off. His parents used to always get mad at him for taking forever to unwrap gifts.

Alana held the lumberjack hat in her hands, turning it over. She looked up at Jimmy and nodded with a half smile. She placed it in her lap, rubbing her hand over it. It was soft.

T-Dog picked up his gift and handed it to her. Alana held the jacket up and looked it over. She held it against her. The sleeves were just a bit long, but she liked it. She liked hiding her hands in her jackets, to keep them warm.

Glenn gave her his gifts. He stuttered at the confused look she gave him when she saw that they were DVD's.

Daryl stepped forward and picked up the package that he knew was the portable DVD player. He quietly said, "Wilhelm picked this out." They all saw how she placed her guard back up at his name. But she took the package anyways and opened it. As she looked it over Glenn handed her the CampStove. He recalled what Wilhelm had said about it, repeating it word for word. He then handed over the Doctor Who seasons, telling her that he had picked those out as well.

Alana looked at each of the seasons. All of them were there.

Jimmy spoke up quietly. "Is…is that the show with the blue box?" he asked.

Alana nodded. "It travels through space and time. And it's bigger on the inside," she murmured.

She then looked back to the remaining gifts. The others looked to Daryl, but he wasn't stepping forward. So Glenn picked them up. The books were the small paperback trades.

"These are from Daryl," he told her as Alana took the gifts and unwrapped them. Her shoulders shook with a quiet laugh.

"Don't know if the midget is in them," Daryl muttered.

Alana looked at all the gifts surrounding her.

"Thank you," she said to the group of men, a weak smile on her face. She slowly moved the items back onto the bed sheet and picked it up, moving carefully back to their…her room.

The others stood up shakily, unsure of what to do next. Alana had closed the bedroom door. One by one they left the living room. None of them dared to go knock on her door.

Daryl was heading off to his tent when he realized he had left his crossbow sitting in the living room. He turned round and headed back. As he picked it up he heard the water faucet running in the bathroom. He looked down the hall; the door was closed. Quietly he moved down the hall. He turned the knob slowly and peeked in. Alana stood at the sink. She was washing the large scrape on her arm.

"Scratched it against the door," she muttered to him, looking back down to the sink. She rubbed at her face. The way she was acting, it confused Daryl. Her brother was gone. Then he realized that she was doing the same thing he had done when Merle went missing. But this, this was different. Merle could still be out there, alive. Wilhelm…Wilhelm was gone. Alana's brother was gone. The one who looked after her. The one that did whatever he had to to make sure she was safe. He was gone. And it was up to Daryl to take his place.

Daryl stared at her face. He raised his hand up, motioning to his own. She looked at him then. He couldn't get all the words out. "There's…" Alana looked into the mirror and saw the blood she had streaked across her cheek.

She rubbed at her face. She rubbed at it again, looking down at her hands. At the slight red tinge they had taken on from the ribbons of blood. Daryl stepped forward as she became violent, rubbing harshly at her skin. He reached out for her as she slumped to the floor. He caught her and held her between his legs as he came to rest on the floor behind her. He held her to him while the sobs shook through her body.

Daryl tilted his head down, his mouth next to her ear. "Gonna look after ya now," he whispered.

**So, yeah. Sorry guys, I killed Wilhelm. Took me a long time to figure out how his exit should happen. In the end, I just couldn't directly kill him. Had to have him die off screen. The original idea for his death was much, much more horrific, with him blowing his brains out right in front of Alana and I just couldn't put that poor woman through that crap. She's been through her own fair share of hell, she deserves some sort of break. **

**Next chapter will focus on Alana's first day without Wilhelm and just how she copes with his death in general. And how Daryl tries to figure out what his new role is in relation to Alana. So yeah, happy, easy, days are certainly not coming soon for Alana and Daryl. **


	27. Chapter 27

Daryl woke up before Alana. He had carried her into the bedroom once the sobs subsided. The sun had already begun to rise by then. Daryl was exhausted and he quickly fell asleep beside her. He woke up soon enough though when Hershel opened the door. Daryl quickly slid from the bed and came to stand outside in the hallway.

"Made some breakfast. Pancakes," Hershel said quietly. "You two can eat in here if you want, or come out into the dining room. No one else is out there right now."

Daryl nodded at him. He went back inside the room and walked over to Alana's side of the bed. He sat at the edge and gently shook her shoulder. Daryl was quiet while she stirred, sitting up slightly to look around the room. She looked up at Daryl.

Wilhelm wasn't there.

He could see the realization begin to hit her again. That Wilhelm wouldn't be walking into the room ever again. Daryl remembered what he had told him. To take care of her. To keep her busy. He knew why Wilhelm had said that. If given the moment to think, she would lose herself.

"Hershel made ya breakfast." Daryl jerked his head towards the door. "No one else is out there. Or we can eat in here."

Alana looked round the room. Her eyes settled on the wooden chair in the room. A pile of Wilhelm's clothes were folded and stacked up next to it. She shook her head.

"I'll eat out there," she told Daryl.

Daryl looked over to Wilhelm's clothes and saw Alana's sitting in the chair itself. He walked over to them and grabbed a clean set of clothes. With a cough he quickly picked up undergarments for her, using a shirt to pick them up with.

"Here," he said, handing the clothes over to her. "I'll go fix ya a plate."

He held the door open and Alana slowly got up, heading into the bathroom.

Walking into the dining room Daryl saw that Hershel had set the table for them. He looked into the kitchen and saw a dirty plate on the kitchen counter; Hershel had already eaten his share. The older man went into the kitchen to grab his cup of coffee before heading back upstairs.

Daryl sat down at the table, looking over the stack of pancakes. Wringing his hands he picked up his plate and put few on it. He then grabbed the plate for Alana and put three pancakes on it. He paused then. He didn't know if she liked butter on her pancakes. And if she did, he didn't know how much or how little.

He was thankful when Alana came out from the bathroom then, walking quietly into the dining room. She took a seat next to him, pulling her plate of pancakes towards her. Daryl handed the butter over to her. Then the syrup. Hershel had left them coffee and so Daryl poured her a cup. He wasn't sure if she took her coffee black and was about to ask, when she took a long sip.

They ate in silence. Alana finished her pancakes on her plate and took another one from the stack. Daryl took another two. When she was done Alana went to stand up, but Daryl stopped her, telling her that he would take care of it. Alana sat back down.

Daryl saw her looking out the front door. He knew what she was thinking and looked out the door as well.

"I'm gonna take ya out hunting today." He sounded like he was saying to her, but also as if he was saying it to himself.

Alana looked up at him beside her.

"Try to find ya that Bambi ya been wanting so bad."

Daryl stood up and took their plates into the kitchen. He shocked even himself when he washed the dishes and put them away. When he walked back into the dining room Alana was still there in the chair. She looked up at him.

"I don't want to go hunting today," she said lowly.

Daryl fidgeted on the spot. "What ya wanna do then?"

Alana stared down at the table. "He was always planning things." She smiled weakly. "Even from the start he knew that we needed to find a group to join. But it wasn't because there was strength in numbers. For a while he had me fooled into thinking it was though. He was just looking for someone to take his place." She looked back up at him. The smile was gone, replaced by a sadness. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this. Guess you're stuck with me now."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Could be worse." Alana stared at him, wondering how it could possibly be worse. "Ya could be stuck with Shane as yer caretaker." Alana fought not to smile, but at the hint that began at the corner of her mouth Daryl smirked and so her smile came fully out.

"That would be…nightmarish," she thought. "In no time I would be starting all my sentences with a grunt."

Daryl then remembered that he still had Wilhelm's wedding band in his pocket, along with the ring he had taken from the house. He reached and took out Wilhelm's. He held it out towards Alana.

"He gave it to me," Daryl said. Alana turned it over in her hands. It wouldn't fit on any of her small fingers. "We can find a chain to put it on," Daryl quickly added when he saw that it didn't fit. Alana nodded.

She looked up at Daryl again uncomfortably. "You don't have to stick around me all day."

"Wilhelm said I had to take care of ya now, so that's what I'm gonna do."

Alana sighed, grabbing lightly at her head. "That's just it. _Wilhelm _told you to take care of me. I'm not…I'm not some little girl lost in the woods that you have to go find. I don't need you or anyone else to babysit me."

She could see that she had said the wrong things, bringing up Sophia. She could see the hurt in the way he stood, staring down at the floor. That little girl, it was his way of doing something with himself, giving himself some sort of purpose in the group. In one day everyone had turned to him to track down that little girl. He was valuable to them. And now that Sophia was gone, all he had was Alana. That was only because Wilhelm was gone now too.

Alana shook her head, trying to find the words to mend the bridge between them. "I'm sorry. But I don't want to be a burden." Daryl could see how the words tasted ugly in her mouth as Alana spoke them. Even with Wilhelm standing over her shoulder her whole life, he never let he be a burden. He had always given her the space to take care of herself.

"Never said ya were one," Daryl told her, still standing by her chair. Alana sighed and turned to face him.

"How do you do it?" she asked him. "Knowing that Merle's…gone. Somewhere out there."

Daryl shrugged. "I try not to think 'bout it. Don't matter none if he's still alive or not, he ain't here."

"What about your parents?"

Daryl would have normally been frustrated, and chewed anyone's head off that tried to get him to talk about his any aspect of his life. But Alana asked and so he was going to answer.

"They were both dead long before any of this started."

Alana thought things over. "Doubt mine are alive anymore. Let's face it, Europe is much bigger, more people. Place is probably overrun with walkers. It's…better. Easier. To just say that they're gone." To keep herself from crying Alana smiled, though it was one laced with strained sadness. "My brother has always been there. Always at my side." She waved her hand back and forth. "Never one step behind me. Or ahead of me. He'd always slow down or catch up, be at my side. He was always all that I had. Now he's gone."

Daryl had no idea what to tell her. What could he possibly say to her? That everything would be okay? He wasn't Wilhelm. He wasn't anybody. He'd never taken care of anyone in his life except for himself. Alana spoke then and Daryl's eyes slowly leveled with hers.

"Still got you though."

He didn't know if she had said it as a statement, or if she was asking him, did she still have him.

"Yeah. Still got me." Alana smiled at him and Daryl could see a crack in her sadness. A spark of hope. Of comfort. She reached out and grabbed his hand in hers, holding onto it lightly. Daryl's fingers twitched in hers. "Come on," he said, pulling her up from the chair and leading her towards the front door. As he reached out for the knob he let go of her hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked. She still held Wilhelm's ring in her other hand.

"Yer gonna help me take down my tent." Alana stopped at the top of the porch steps. Daryl turned round to look up at her. Their faces were burrowed with slight frustration.

"You don't have to do this."

"Ya shouldn't be in that room by yerself with that asshole in the next room."

"You guys tied him up like a Christmas roast."

Daryl tensed his shoulders, jabbing a finger towards the ground. "Wilhelm said ya had to do what I say. And I'm telling ya, yer gonna help take that tent down. World's ended, but shit's still gotta get done."

Daryl stood silent, unsure if he had said the right things to her. He let his breath out when Alana came down the steps and took her place beside him as they headed out towards his tent.

The camp was waking up and T-Dog was on top the RV. He waved over at them as they passed by. The previous night after Alana and Daryl were left inside the house Rick had gone by to everyone else and spoke quickly to them. He knew that Wilhelm's loss was a loss to everyone, but they needed to carry on. He was sure that some of the group thought he was being somewhat harsh in saying so, but Rick knew more than anything that Alana didn't need everyone coddling her. None of them needed that. Those that had been with Wilhelm the night before were the ones to agree right away with Rick.

When Rick came out from his tent he looked over the camp. T-Dog directed his attention out towards Daryl's tent. Rick came up to the RV.

"They're taking down his tent," T-Dog told him.

Rick nodded. He headed over to the cars and drove the old blue truck over to where they were. As he got out and walked over to them he did what he always did; planted his hands on his sides and took his customary officer stance.

He spoke to both of them. "You guys are free to do whatever you want for the day. We had made changes to the watch schedule so you all could have some time to rest up." He looked back to the camp. "I don't think we need to make any runs into the town today. We'll just all stay put here."

Daryl was rolling up the tent and he stood as he shouldered it, walking over to dump it in the back of the truck. "Gonna head out, do some hunting," he told Rick. Rick looked over to Alana, silently questioning if she would be going with him. Alana didn't say anything as she picked up the loose items and tossed them into the truck.

"I'll go with you," Rick told Daryl when he figured that Alana would be staying on the farm. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was, Alana being left behind without Daryl. Others may not have seen it or understood it, but Rick knew why Wilhelm had asked Daryl to look after Alana. He wasn't perfect, or the easiest to get along with, but Rick admitted even to himself that over everyone else, he'd want Daryl at his side. He turned to the camp again, looking over at the tent that was Shane's. Rick sighed.

"Put this stuff up and we'll head out," Daryl told Rick. Alana walked over to the truck and lowered the tailgate so she could sit on it. Rick got back in the truck, making a slow creep back towards the farmhouse while Daryl followed behind on Merle's motorbike. Alana smiled at the way he had zig and zag on it. She remembered the first time she had seen him on it, wondering how he could possibly reach the long tall handles.

The motorbike woke the rest of the camp up and one by one they each made their way out to the campfire, settling down to wait for breakfast. Alana did her best to not become angry at the sympathy-laced smiles she was given by them. She was grateful that those who had been with Wilhelm had at least the kindness to act as if nothing was different, though they did so with a gentleness. It was as if the common thought had passed between them all; Wilhelm was gone, but we're still here.

Daryl had placed his tent inside Alana's car while she took his other belongings into the house. She hesitated before setting his pillows down on the side that Wilhelm had normally taken. She then turned around and looked at the stack of his clothes on the floor next to the chair. Alana was still holding a pile of Daryl's clean clothes in her arms. She stared at Wilhelm's, feeling the weight of Daryl's. She sat down on the bed slowly, releasing the pile of clothes. One by one she folded Daryl's clothing. He walked in as she was bending down to set his clothes, neatly stacked, next to Wilhelm's. She stood up and took a step back, looking down.

"You can still come with us, if you want," Daryl told her. She looked over to him and saw that he was shouldering his crossbow. She shook her head, sticking her leg out and wiggling her knee.

"I don't want to slow you down. Next time. I'll go next time."

Daryl stood awkwardly at the door. What the hell was he supposed to say now? What was he supposed to do? Alana could see that he was struggling with his newfound duty. His burden. And she hated it. Even though she may not intentionally be a burden for him, now that he saw it as his place to look after her, that made her a burden because he didn't know where to even start.

"I'll go bother Dale," she told him. "He'll probably spend half the day up there on the RV, so I'll keep him company."

Daryl nodded at the idea. Dale wasn't Shane and Daryl had no problem at all with that. He turned to leave when Alana's stammer stopped him. He looked back at her and part of him cracked at seeing her standing there, uncertain in her own skin, trying to discover how to hold herself together now.

"When will you be back?" she asked once she found her stable voice. She knew his hunting usually took the entire day, but still, she needed to hear him say that he would be back. Wilhelm had said he would be back, but he wasn't. Alana forced the thought away. She still needed to hear it from Daryl.

Daryl had planned on being out all day, when he thought that Alana would be going with him. He wanted to keep her away from the farm for the day. Give her some time to be alone. But with him there with her. Now that Rick was going instead, he had still hoped to spend most of the day out, but with that pitiful cover up on her face, trying to hide the fact that part of her was lost…

"We'll head back starting at 3," he told her. She held her wrist up to read the time on her watch. It was nearly 7:30AM. "Rick has a watch." It was a lie. Daryl didn't have a clue if Rick had one or not. But he was sure as hell going to find one before they left.

They walked back outside together. Rick was standing over by his tent, speaking with Carl. No doubt he was telling him to stay in sight of his mother while he was gone.

Sure enough, as they approached the RV, Dale was already sitting up there. He looked down at the two of them and smiled, saying good morning to them.

"Got ya a leech for the day," Daryl told him as he pushed Alana forward. Dale laughed lightly and said that he would appreciate the company.

"I'll just get my stuff," Alana said, walking over to the car to grab her things. Daryl quickly took the time to walk over to the campfire where T-Dog was preparing breakfast.

"You got that watch?" Daryl asked him.

The night before Wilhelm had handed T-Dog all the items he had on him, including his watch. He was wearing it on his wrist, but T-Dog made no gripe or any hesitation to unlatch and hand it over to Daryl.

Not used to the feel of a watch, Daryl clumsily put it on his wrist and headed back over to the RV. Alana was standing at the ladder. There was an awkward silence between them; Dale for his part suddenly became fascinated with his water bottle. Rick was slowly approaching them.

Daryl could see that she was going to ask him something, but he knew what that something was.

"Yeah, I'll be sure to come back," he told her. She was thankful that he knew what it was that she was trying to say. The words were an empty promise, no one could possibly keep it, but both knew it still needed to be said.

Alana fought with herself to keep her feet planted where they were; she wanted to step forward to Daryl and cling to him. But she knew she couldn't. Not with the others around. It would have left Daryl uncomfortable.

She watched as he and Rick walked off, heading towards the woods. Swinging her small pack of things over her shoulder she climbed atop the RV to join Dale. She noticed that he had switched chairs, leaving the more comfortable one open to her. Alana set her pack down between her legs. She took out her sunglasses, put them on, put the baseball cap on, grabbed her binoculars, set them in her lap, and leaned back in the chair. Dale observed the small fortress she had erected around herself. He gave her time to herself, to sit in her small castle alone. Carol walked over not too long afterwards, plates of food in hand. Dale got up to fetch them from her. He looked over to Alana as she shoved her food around on her plate. Carefully, he decided to knock on the doors to her little fortress.

"Not hungry?" he asked casually. She shook her head.

"Hershel made me breakfast earlier." She looked over at Dale. He was halfway done with his pate. She held her plate up. "You can have it, if you want." He asked if she was sure and she nodded. She leaned over so that she could scrape her eggs onto his plate. She leaned back in her chair, the plate resting on her lap.

An hour into their watch Dale noticed how she would turn her head just the slightest to look over towards the woods. And how she would find some way to twist her arm so that she could read the time.

"It isn't easy, making yourself not worry," Dale told her. Everyone else was trying to carry on, to not remind her that Wilhelm was gone. And he was sure that Alana knew everything that she needed to know and that she would be okay. But it just wasn't in him to not say anything.

Alana laughed calmly. "I can't even remember how many people I've seen die since this all started. Just, became numb to it. Trying to survive, there hadn't been much time to actually feel anything."

"There wasn't much of a need for you to," Dale told her, his tone easily taking on that all-knowing wisdom that Alana had quickly become accustomed to. "You always had Wilhelm there. You had each other."

"And now I don't," Alana said, trying to hide the bitterness that suddenly rose within her. She looked over to Dale apologetically. It was going to be a difficult few days, adjusting to things.

"But you still have Daryl," he reminded her. "And all of us. We look out for each other."

"I don't know what to do now," Alana admitted. "And…and now Daryl is trying to take Wilhelm's place. What if something happens to him because of that? What if…" No, she didn't want to think of that.

"I don't believe Daryl is trying to take Wilhelm's place. He knows enough that he could never do that."

"That's it though," Alana argued. "He will never take my brother's place, but you really think Daryl has ever taken it well being told that there was something he couldn't do?"

Dale had to agree with her. He may not have known Daryl for very long, but the man was stubborn. He had a thought then, but Dale knew voicing it could backfire on him.

"I doubt that he wants to take your brother's place." Alana looked over at him. From the change on her face he knew that she understood what he meant. "It's no one's right to say anything…"

"But you'll say it anyways."

Dale smiled. "Of course. I admit, I don't have a single clue what goes on in his head, but he cares for you and would do whatever it takes to protect you. Regardless of whether or not Wilhelm told him to."

Alana nodded. "I can't even bother to wonder what's going on in his head. Can't even sort my own out."

Dale sighed. "Things are going to be difficult for awhile. This was the first large group I joined. We were just outside of Atlanta. We were safe there, but then we weren't. We had been there for a while and so we all had the time to get to know each other. And when those walkers came through, some of us died. Andrea's sister was one of them. They had been with me in the RV since the beginning. Had picked them up, car had broken down. I couldn't just leave them there." He shook his head. "The next day I got up and started looking around for her. For Amy. Then I remembered. Wasn't too long ago that it happened. Still find myself in the mornings and evenings looking around for her. And Jim. Jacqui. For everyone that's gone." He laughed. "I even catch myself wondering where Merle of all people is."

Alana laughed.

"We're all allowed…to have our moments. To grieve. We need it. No one is going to blame you for not bouncing right back from this, but we're all here if you need us. Even if you just need us to keep quiet, we'll still be there. And Daryl will be there."

"And Daryl," Alana mused. "He's his own subspecies." They both laughed; Dale couldn't really argue with that.

"As security blankets go, I'd say he's the best you could have," Dale smiled.

Alana scrunched her face up, trying to pin the term down. She'd never heard it before. Dale looked over at her and realized she wasn't familiar with the term. He tried to figure out how to explain it to her.

"When you were little, did you have a stuffed animal that, you just couldn't live without?" he asked her. She thought back on it, then nodded. She remembered having a stuffed Pegasus. "That was your security blanket," Dale beamed at her. "You felt as if nothing could go wrong, as long as you had it with you." Alana thought over it, nodding her head. She could remember taking it with her whenever her mother took her to the dentist. She had been terrified of the huge chair, but as long as Pegasus was with her she didn't feel so small in it. She smirked.

Daryl was Pegasus.

Alana looked over to the house to see Andrea and Shane heading their way weapons in hand. Looked like they were going on patrol. Alana looked towards her car and thought on the packs inside.

She climbed down from the RV and waved Shane and Andrea down. They stopped and followed her over to the car. Neither said anything as she rummaged through the packs, although they both did look to each other, waiting to see who would speak up first.

Alana turned round and handed them a small black walkie. "Here," she said. "We were holding onto them, just in case. And we have plenty of batteries. I found some that you can recharge."

Shane, thinking before actually saying anything, stepped forward and took the walkie from her, asking what channel to put it on. Alana looked at her own and told him Channel 3. They turned both walkies on and tested them out. They worked.

"What's the range on them?" Andrea asked.

"Ten miles. We should probably keep chatter as low as possible."

"Yeah," said Shane, "no saying where we are, case someone else is listening."

"We're heading out to the fence, from yesterday. We'll radio once we get there."

Alana nodded. "We can work out some sort of code talk when you guys get back."

She could tell that Andrea wanted to say something to her. Perhaps invite her to come with them. But from the energy between her and Shane, Alana got the idea that Shane had told her not to say anything of the sort. And she was grateful for that.

"Go ahead and keep it turned on, just turn the volume off. I'll wait for you guys to radio first," Alana said, pointing at their walkie with hers. Shane nodded.

The three stepped to part their ways, Shane reaching back to give Alana's shoulder a squeeze.

Alana rejoined Dale atop the RV, showing him the walkie. She turned the volume up and set it down by her feet. They watched as Shane and Andrea drove off.

Daryl had caught three squirrels and a small hare. Rick hadn't caught anything, although that wasn't why he had come along. He was just there as backup. He kept behind Daryl the entire time, trusting him to lead the way.

Daryl glanced down at his…Wilhelm's watch. It was coming onto noon. As they came into a small clearing, open sight all around them, Daryl stopped and shouldered his crossbow, grabbing for the pack that Rick had brought with him. He took a bottle of water out before handing the pack back to Rick. While Daryl stood looking off in once direction he looked in the other. They spoke quietly.

"Alana's going to be fine," Rick told him. He knew there was no need to really say it, but he went ahead and said it.

"Course she is," Daryl muttered.

"I know I don't _have _to say this, but…just be careful with her." Daryl looked back over at him like he had just insulted his dead dog. "She just lost her brother and even if she doesn't mean to, she's gonna find herself trying to fill that void he's left behind. You need to figure out just what it is that she means to you. You need to draw that line in the sand and you need to do it quick, 'cause she's already marked you up as her security blanket."

"Didn't know ya were a expert on relationships," Daryl remarked. He was done with standing there. They needed to get moving again.

"I'm not," Rick told him, shouldering the pack. "I just know how they get broken."

Daryl was getting ready to make a snide comment when he heard something _snap_.

**Le gasp! A snap, a snap what could it be! **

**Thank you for all the reviews! I've already begun work on the next chapter and I'd like your advice on this very very very very important question:**

**How quickly do you think Alana should come to terms with Wilhelm's death? It's just rather difficult for me to picture her sulking over his death for very long, she's smart enough that she knows there's only so much time in the world to mourn and then you gotta move on, but actually doing so is a totally different thing and Wilhelm was practically her other half. **

**Ambray: Yup anyone can die at any moment, that's exactly what Wilhelm's death meant. No one is safe. **

**Musicforsanity: Yeah I just couldn't sit on the chapter, had to get it out asap so that I would start work on this chapter. Fleshing out the next chapter already, should have it up this weekend. **

**Amaya Dixon: I know! It was so hard to kill him. I kept trying to find ways around it, but alas he had to go. **

**SharonH: Thanks, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what Alana's initial reaction should be to his death. I wanted to show that she does have weaknesses, but that at the same time she's been taught to shrug them off. **

**LadyLecter47: haha well then thank you very much!**

**Onixeyes: Hehe yeah I figured you would be hating and loving me at the same time after this chapter. I'm glad I went with him dying off page as well, plus shooting himself or just dying in front of Alana, that just isn't something that Wilhelm would put her through. It would have only made things harder for her. **

**Leila: yeah it was a blast to write about Wilhelm, especially his interactions with Daryl. But I feel bad for Daryl, here he was just about to begin to get used to having this older brother figure and bang I kill him. Sorry Daryl! **


	28. Chapter 28

Alana stayed atop the RV with Dale, waiting for Shane and Andrea to radio in that they had reached the fence. When they did and said they would radio once more when they started on their way back, Alana came down from the RV, looking for something else to do to pass the time. She left the radio with Dale. Carol was washing clothes and helping Patricia with random things that had to get done around the farm. Lori was seen here and there on the farm, not doing much. Everyone had just marked it up to being that since she was pregnant it was expected of her to take it easy. Alana couldn't help but note to herself how Lori had seemed to be taking it easy even when first she met the group. Glenn and Maggie were tending to the horses and collecting water from the well, filling all the available bottles. At the edge of the woods T-Dog and Jimmy were chopping and snapping branches off from trees,

With winter getting ever closer, they'd be needing firewood. A few conversations had already been heard, of everyone moving into the farmhouse, so as to keep the fires to just one. It'd have to be a rather small one, just in the living room fireplace. Couldn't risk having too much smoke. It would be preferred that there was no smoke at all. It would be even more preferred if there was no fire at all. It was to Alana's understanding that the generator would only be turned on when absolutely needed during the winter. But Hershel had still asked Jimmy to head out and collect firewood. Alana believed he was only collecting it because of Lori and this baby that was on the way. She knew that they could all survive the winter. It was just a matter of staying warm, of collecting warm clothing and thinking clearly. But a baby, in such a situation as theirs, a baby was a weakness. A baby could make people do things that would put the entire group in danger. Like thinking that it'd be possible to remain there on the farm and not bothering to go out and search for a backup plan.

Alana became slightly irritated, thinking of all this. Of how the group was sticking to one plan. Just one plan. Wilhelm had always been planning. Making plans for plans. Every time they had run into trouble while on their own or with other groups, Wilhelm had never panicked. He would pause for such a moment, becoming deathly silent, and then he'd turn to Alana and tell her what they would do. How they would get out of whatever the current situation was. And they did. Every time they made it out. How could this group be so blind as to feel safe here on the farm? What did Wilhelm always tell her? _There's no such thing as a safe place. Only safer. _

Feeling angered, Alana did the only thing she could. She headed over towards T-Dog and Jimmy. Dale may have told her that they all didn't expect her to be perfect, to easily continue on, but calling them all stupid, ignorant fools probably wouldn't do well for her place within the group. Next best thing would have to be tossing a really sharp blade around.

When Alana reached the two men, Jimmy was up in a tree, sawing off branches while T-Dog held onto a rope that was tied round said branch. He took a step back as it fell to the ground.

"Need any help?" Alana asked them.

T-Dog nodded. "Wanna start chopping and we'll get more branches down."

Alana couldn't argue with the suggestion; it was just what she had wanted to hear. She picked up the axe that lay nearby. T-Dog dragged the branch over towards her and she began chopping while he went back to help Jimmy get another one down. At first she went down the branch, chopping it into segments then took each one and chopped each into quarters. It hadn't taken much time for her to finish the first branch. She carried the blocks over to the truck and dumped them into the back. T-Dog told her the plan was the fill the entire truck bed.

The three of them worked in relative silence, each making a remark here and there. Alana mocked the slow pace at which the guys were getting the branches down for her. T-Dog complained to Jimmy about how slow he was taking to cut just halfway through the branches. Jimmy was daring him to climb up there and do the job himself.

Eventually through all their snarky comments the trio finally finished filling the truck bed. All together they had been at it for a couple of hours. Each of them was sore and exhausted. Alana walked, favoring her knee; her shoulder felt as if the muscles were stretched too thin over the bones. But she was exhausted and that was her goal.

Driving back to the farm the three noticed that there was some sort of commotion at the other end of the farm. The three of them jumped out from the truck as they reached the house, but were caught off guard as Dale came up to them, a smile on his face.

He had seen Daryl and Rick returning the moment they stepped out from the woods. Between them they carried a deer tied to a branch. Rick couldn't help the grin plastered on his face.

With the truck being filled with firewood, Glenn eagerly jumped into the suburban, driving off to meet the two men.

Alana remained at the house, helping T-Dog and Jimmy with unloading the truck and storing the firewood. Everyone was chatting away about the deer and practically watering at the mouth. A majority of the wood was being stored in a shed just behind the house; Alana came walking round the front of the house when Glenn pulled up with the men and the deer. She paused for a moment, nodding to Daryl with a lopsided smile before walking off again, another pile of wood in her arms. She could see the confusion on his face, the hint of hostility, as the members of the group crowded around him, unable to hide their excitement.

She was the last to come up and look at the deer. Daryl had shrugged Carol and Dale off to come stand behind her.

"Told ya I'd get Bambi for ya," he told her. She smiled, reaching out to poke at the deer. The smile faded as she stared at its eyes. They were cold, but with the light of the sun they looked alive. She thought of Wilhelm.

She braced herself before turning around to face Daryl. He looked like a child, waiting for approval. Or punishment. Like he was internally asking if he had done right.

"I'm going to go wash up," she told him, slipping slowly past him. "It's been a long day."

Daryl nodded, looking at the ground. Hershel walked up to him then, saying that he would clean the deer, Daryl had done enough just catching the thing. Hershel nodded his head in the direction of the house, in the direction of Alana. "You best get cleaned up, don't need you tracking the woods back into the house," he told Daryl though there was no sort of venom in his tone, just an excuse.

He found her in the bathroom, water in the sink running. It wasn't often that any of them took actual showers or baths, only in certain cases. For the most part it was towel-baths for everyone (since there weren't any sponges around) and a pitcher or sink of water with a bit of soap. Daryl waited in the bedroom, sitting on the very edge of bed on his side, trying his best to touch as little as possible.

When Alana walked into the room he looked over to her quickly. She had a towel tossed over her head. It didn't seem to bother her at all that she looked ridiculous. As she set her dirty clothes to the side Alana asked Daryl when he was going to clean the deer.

"That's Hershel's job," he replied. He told her what the old man had told him and she smiled. Daryl mumbled something about no one better get any ideas to give some of his deer to that Randall.

Alana stared over at the wall that was shared between the two rooms. She began to wonder why it was that Wilhelm was dead but that boy was still alive. She couldn't even understand why he was being kept alive. They should just get what information they can out of him then put a bullet in his head. Judging by the members of his group that they had encountered, she knew the group was bad news. They should just put a bullet in his head.

"Ya alright?" Daryl asked her, becoming uneasy with the way she stared down the wall.

She shook her head, forcing the thoughts from mind. "Yeah. Just been a long day, you know?"

Daryl nodded, thinking back to what Rick had told him right before the deer came out in the clearing. And he thought back on what he had said as they were carrying the deer back to the farm.

Daryl had been irked by what Rick told him, saying that if Alana grew closer to him it would only be because she was trying to fill the void that Wilhelm had left. That frustration had only subsided for the moment following when Daryl had taken the deer down. But as they were tying the deer up to carry back, Daryl had bit back at Rick's comments.

"Whole camp knows what was goin' on between them," he rattled off, speaking of Lori and Shane. "Ya think just 'cause you're back it's all gonna be cherry? Everyone sees how she just runs back an' forth to the both of ya. So don't fuckin' tell me what to do with Alana. You're the last person should be givin' advice." The deer was tied up. Rick as standing in front of him, head down. It was difficult for Daryl to stand still. He couldn't handle being thought of as some sort of replacement. He wasn't Wilhelm, he couldn't replace him. He didn't want to replace him. He huffed and picked up the front end of the branch. "Let's get this fuckin' thing back to the house."

Rick hadn't said anything else to him on their way to the farm until they had come into the clearing. Glenn was driving up to them. He kept his eyes on the car as he spoke to Daryl.

"You think you're helping her? Fixing her up, helping her heal? You don't think she's hoping for the same things you're hoping for? Till you tell her what it is she means to you…you're just gonna leave her in bruises."

Daryl had been thinking of what Rick had said from that moment to where he sat now on the bed in the room he shared with Alana. She was still standing there, but she wasn't staring him down; didn't even appear that she was wondering what was going through his head.

He still wasn't sure exactly in which light Alana saw him. Were they still _just surviving_ or had it been more than that from the very beginning? He didn't know. And he wasn't about to ask. That was something he wasn't ready to do. To voice, to question aloud what they were. Yes, Rick's words still tumbled around in his head, but he wasn't ready to draw a line just yet. He truly just wanted to survive. He had no need, no want, for any of that romantic crap. He never had. But Alana…he knew that he wanted something with her. There were moments where he admitted it to himself, contradicted himself. But then he would push those thoughts far away. Yet every moment that he spent with her was a contradiction to those jumbled thoughts.

Rick was wrong. He didn't need to figure out what Alana was to him. He already knew. It was just a matter of admitting it. But how could he admit anything now? Now when Wilhelm was gone. He knew what everyone would think, that he had used the loss of her brother to his advantage. He wasn't sure how he would do it, how he'd handle things, but Daryl knew that he would have to wait. To give Alana time to herself, to sort things out, before admitting anything to her.

And when she was ready, he'd then worry about how he would go about admitting those things.

Daryl looked over to the stack of books that Alana placed on the dresser. She had continued reading _Game of Thrones _one day without him and so he was behind. The day that she and Wilhelm had left, he picked it up and tried catching up with her. He still had probably thirty pages to go. He set it back down. He then grabbed the portable DVD player and tossed it on the bed.

"Pick out a movie," was all he told her and then he went to the bathroom to clean up.

When he returned she was sitting at the head of the bed, feet laid out in a straight line before her. The DVD player was in her lap. As he came to sit down he saw what movie she had picked out. _The Crow. _She kept it on her lap and so Daryl scooted to the center of the bed with her so he could see the screen. Alana had pulled headphones from one of her packs. They each put a headphone in and watched the film.

Daryl at first couldn't understand why she would want to watch such a movie. Seemed pretty damn depressing. And then he'd see her smile.

_It can't rain all the time._

Carol had come knocking at the door when dinner was ready. Everyone would be eating inside that evening. Alana and Daryl had finished the film and were starting on the _Buffy _season 7 DVD. Daryl was a little thrown off with the way Carol just stood there for a short moment after telling them that dinner was ready. Alana turned the DVD off and stashed it away under the bed, telling Daryl that they could finish the current episode after eating.

When they arrived in the dining room Daryl saw that half the seats were still open. The small adjacent table that had been brought in was already full. Glenn, Maggie, Jimmy, and T-Dog sat at the same table. Daryl paused as he was pulling at the second to last chair at one end for himself, instead choosing to sit at the end. Sitting next to him, Alana would have him to her left and Dale to her right. For some reason Daryl thought it would better for him to be at the end and not her. Within the group, it had been herself and Wilhelm. And Daryl when he was with them. She needed to be part of the group. They both did. He needed to continue what Wilhelm had started. He had to keep with the plan.

These new thoughts rolled around in his head as Alana came to sit down between him and Dale. He looked over at her as she gave the courteous smile and nod to those at the table.

The conversations around the table circled around food; there were discussions of favorite meals or the first time someone ever tried some sort of food. Alana for the most part stayed quiet, as well as Daryl. No one had tried pushing Alana to speak up. When dinner was done with the table slowly emptied. Alana remained seated while Daryl stood up and took her plate and his into the kitchen. He handed them off to Patricia. When he came back he beckoned Alana back to their room to finish the episode.

After it ended, Daryl got up, saying that he had patrol for the night.

"Get some sleep," he told her, shouldering his crossbow. "I'll be back soon."

Some four hours later he came back, slowly opening the bedroom door and creeping in as quietly as possible. Alana was asleep, but something looked different. As she stepped closer he could see that Alana had pulled one of Wilhelm's shirts over her own. It was then that he realized just how small she was.

He slipped under the covers with his back to her. Sometime in the night he woke up and could feel that she had slid across the bed, her head pressed up against his back. Carefully he rolled in place to face her and tucked an arm under her.

In the morning when he woke up, he remained in bed until after she had gotten up. He peeked at her, seeing her pull Wilhelm's shirt off and returned it back to the pile of clothes on the floor. She then shuffled to the bathroom. He waited until she came back to sit up, feigning to have been awoken by the door closing.

That second day after Wilhelm's death had gone by just as the first had. For the most part Alana had done well getting through the day. There had been a moment here or there where she would become silent, thinking back on something that only she knew.

But that third day was different.

Alana had gone off on patrol with T-Dog. She had set up a system where everyone patrol took a walkie and would communicate back with Dale or Carol, letting them know they had reached their destination and were returning back. When T-Dog and Alana had come back to the farm, T-Dog found the opportunity to slip away and speak with Daryl while she was busy speaking with Carl. The young boy was upset that he wasn't being asked to do anything other than keep in sight. Alana quieted him by saying that he could be in charge of the walkie check-ins the next day if his father said it was okay.

Daryl was cleaning the barn out with Jimmy and Hershel and Rick. The floor was a mess. Everything was being thrown out that wasn't needed. Plan was to go through everything within and pick out whatever might be useful, what could be made into weapons. Daryl was tossing out an old bike with a bent front wheel when T-Dog approached him.

"Listen man, something ain't right with Alana." He kept his voice low so that the others wouldn't hear.

"What the hell that supposed to mean?"

T-Dog looked back to make sure that Alana wasn't watching them. It looked like she had gone inside the house.

"We found a couple of walkers. And she walked right up to them and…well she beat the shit out of them man."

"Ain't that what we supposed to be doin'?" Daryl said back, still not seeing what was wrong with what Alana had done.

"Yeah but you didn't see her. Those things were long gone and she was still beating the shit out of them. Look, we all gotta admit she hasn't exactly acted as expected."

Daryl wasn't seeing the point of the conversation. "What the hell ya trying to say?"

"I'm saying that she's gonna snap. Look what happened to Andrea, she tried to fucking kill herself. Just…try to talk to her or something. Everyone else may think that she's just taking Wilhelm's death well, but you know better than anyone else that isn't true, don't you?"

T-Dog walked away, leaving Daryl to wonder about what he said and how true it was. He spotted Alana coming out of the house, carrying a bundle of clothes for washing. He could see, how when she thought no one was looking, that emptiness flooded over her as it had the night Wilhelm died.

He wished that Wilhelm was still there.

Daryl found out just how badly he wanted Wilhelm to still be alive. The entire day had been the same as the past two days. Alana took watch on top the RV, giving Dale the entire day to sit down without having to worry about popping his head up to check the farm. Daryl had gone with Jimmy hunting. He'd tried to get Alana to go with him, as she said she would. But she coolly declined, saying that she had RV. He didn't try talking her into coming with him or telling her that she had to go with him. He kept thinking back to what T-Dog had said the day before. Every little thing that was wrong with her stuck out after that.

She passed up opportunities to mock him, to get the upperhand. She made no jokes, only laughed politely at them. He kept catching her, that faraway look in her eyes. Though the others didn't see anything wrong with her, any moment that she was alone, Alana sank into herself. Only to be snapped back to attention by someone calling to her.

That night Daryl had watch again.

Alana was getting into bed. Daryl wondered if when he returned if she'd be swimming in one of Wilhelm's shirts again.

"Be back in a bit," he told her quietly. She looked up and nodded from the bed.

Not knowing what else to say, Daryl left.

He joined up with Dale for watch. The old man never felt right if he went a day without sitting atop that RV it seemed. It was left to Daryl to take a walkie and patrol the farm. He went by and grabbed Glenn; it had been decided that for the night watches a third person would be woken just to go on the patrol, then they could head back off to bed.

The two trekked along the edges of the farm, Glenn wearing the night vision goggles. They weren't even halfway through their patrol when a rumble ran over their heads. They looked at the sky and could see lightning off in the distance.

Daryl's mind flashed with what Wilhelm had told him, about Alana and thunderstorms. Glenn said something about hoping they got back to the farm before it began to rain. Daryl told him to keep moving.

Dale came in over the radio then. There was a little light that lit up on the walkie. Daryl turned the volume up.

"What?" he asked dryly.

"Looks like there's a storm coming. Think it'll be here in a few. Wind's starting to pick up. Best hurry up and get back."

"Yeah, ok." Daryl turned the volume back down.

He wasn't too pleased when Dale turned out to be right and soon after the rain started coming down on them, the thunder rolling through the ground and up their bones, vibrating in their ears. He could hear Glenn groan as their clothes quickly became soaked.

"What's wrong princess, gonna melt in the rain?" Daryl commented to him.

"Can we just please hurry and get back?"

When they finally reached the farmhouse again, they could see that Dale was still sitting atop the RV. He had a long rain coat over him and was holding up an umbrella. Glenn eagerly headed to his tent, but Daryl called him back.

"I'm calling it a night, go sit with Dale," he told him.

"What? But…" Glenn said, looking depressed at the notion of sitting in the rain.

Daryl didn't know how to put it, so he just looked over at the house. Glenn then remembered that night with Wilhelm. He nodded his head and headed towards the RV.

Daryl slipped into the house. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped himself in it, kicking off his boots and leaving them in the bathtub. He dried his hair and tried to squeeze as much as possible from his clothes. He then headed to the bedroom.

He stopped halfway in when he looked up and saw the bed was empty. He looked from corner to corner. He spun around and nearly cursed when he saw Maggie standing there. He started to say something to her, but she held up a hand.

"She's upstairs," Maggie whispered before walking away quietly.

Confused, Daryl followed after her, taking slow steps up the stairs. Maggie led him down the hall and to a closed door. She stepped away from it and leant in to whisper to him.

"She came up some time after the storm started. Locked herself in." She held out a small skeleton key. "I didn't think it was my place to go in there," she told him.

"You left her in there alone?" Daryl asked angrily. Maggie quieted him. She approached the door and lightly tapped four times. A moment later Daryl could hear a faint four taps coming from inside.

Maggie placed the key in his hand and left Daryl alone in the hallway.

Alana was sitting on the floor in front of the bathtub when Daryl unlocked the door and came in. He still had the towel hung over his shoulders.

"Hey," he whispered, taking a step closer to her.

She shuddered as the thunder rumbled. "Hey."

Daryl didn't know what to say next, so he walked over and slid to the floor next to her. She flinched when she felt the wetness and coldness of his clothes. It was then that she actually looked at him.

"Got caught in the rain," he told her.

"You should change, you'll catch a cold," she said to him. The thunder came again and she shook slightly.

Daryl looked at the floor between his legs. "Wilhelm said not to leave ya alone during thunderstorms. Said you didn't like them." She nodded.

"Did he tell you why I don't like?" Daryl said no. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. "I was little. Five. Our parents were out and he was stuck babysitting me. He had wanted to go down the street to a friend's house, but he had to stay home with me. He wasn't happy about it. He didn't do it to be mean, he thought it was funny. We had a cupboard under the stairs and as a joke he pushed me in there and shut the door. There was a lock on it, on the outside. I couldn't get out. I wasn't angry or scared. I just wanted out. Then he ran off and went to see his friend. But a storm came and the power went out. I couldn't see anything. All I could hear was the thunder and feel how the house shook. I screamed. I screamed, but no one was there. And the thunder was louder than me." She kept pausing in her story as the thunder would roll over. "Our parents came back home first. Five hours later. I remember, hearing Wilhelm cry, when father beat him. That next week there was another storm. In the morning. It woke me up. But soon as I woke up, Wilhelm came into my room and sat with me until it was over."

She couldn't look at him when she asked, "How did…Wilhelm…"

Daryl shook his head. He wrapped the towel round them both, pulling her under his arm. "We were getting outta the house. Me and him went out first. Didn't see it, but a walker got him, on the leg. Called it one of those ankle-biters."

Daryl leaned away from her when he felt her shoulders shaking. He looked at her to see that she was laughing, her eyes glassed over. She began shaking her head, crying through the laughter. He could hear her mutter something in German. "Those were always the ones he warned me about, you know. Figures he'd get killed by one of them," she said haughtily.

Thunder came again and she quieted.

Alana looked at Daryl again, seeing his soaked clothes. "You need to change," she told him again, her tone taking on a hint of concern.

Daryl nodded absentmindedly. He helped Alana up, letting her lead him down the stairs. She entered the bedroom first and went to the corner to grab him new clothes. He hesitated for a moment, not sure whether he should actually attempt thinking at all, then realizing he was thinking at that very moment.

The thunder rumbled.

No thinking. That's what he had to do. Don't think.

Don't think.

Daryl kept the towel hung over his shoulders. He began unbuttoning his shirt, trying his best to not fidget when Alana turned round to hand him one of his wifebeaters. She took the soaked shirt from him and went to leave it in the bathroom. When she returned he was zipping up a dry pair of pants. She bent down to pick up the other pair and left again. She returned and Daryl was still standing in front of the bed. Alana closed the door and slowly walked over to the bed, her entire body tense, ready for the next growl of the thunder.

Daryl stepped forward, following Alana over to her side of the bed. He turned her round in his arms slowly and held her to him. He felt her wrap her arms around his waist. The thunder came again and he instantly tightened his grip on her.

He felt stupid just thinking it, but he said, "It can't rain all the time." He could feel her shaking against him, but he could also hear her laughing quietly. "Come on," he said, "I'm tired as fuck."

He pulled back slightly from her, just enough to get what needed to be done, done. He craned his neck down and very quickly kissed her forehead. Daryl pulled away from her and rounded the bed to his side. He kept his head down, not wanting to see Alana's face.

When he slipped under the covers, Alana then joined him. He preoccupied himself with arranging the sheets and his pillow, still not wanting to look at Alana. Then he felt the weight on the bed shift as she scooted over to him. For a moment he became worried, thinking that she may kiss him. It didn't matter where, just the thought of it was unnerving. This was difficult enough for him, even with him in control.

But the kiss never came. Alana curled up next to him, resting an arm across his waist, bunching up the material of his wifebeater in her hand. Daryl brought a hand up and messed about with her hair.

They both waited for the storm to pass.

**This ending took FOREVER to write! I kept changing it over and over again. Just wasn't pleased with the way it kept turning out. I certainly didn't want Alana and Daryl's relationship to all of a sudden become 100% solid. Baby steps is the best way for them. Plus it always irks me when I start reading a Daryl/OC story and after some traumatic event there's all these "I love you!" being tossed around. **

**So, now that I've addressed the whole Alana coming to proper terms with Wilhelm's death, we can move on to some more action from the season and some of my own making. Next chapter will be about Randall's fate and Alana's thoughts on it, plus some more revelations about Alana's past. **

**And now for a question for everyone! **

**For the events that happened in the remainder of the season, what things would you want to see change for this story? Or things that you think need to be kept? I have a couple ideas of my own, but I'll be keeping those a secret until we get to those points in the story **


	29. Chapter 29

When the day came for Randall to be taken from the farm, shifting eyes could be felt everywhere. It had begun two days before, when Hershel had inspected his leg and deemed it healed enough to handle being out on the road. Rick was adamant about giving the boy a decent chance at surviving out there on his own. It wasn't so much that a silence fell over the farm after Hershel's declaration that Randall was healed enough to be sent off. Everyone went about with their chores for the day, but behind every word exchanged, behind every sweep of the farm, there was that sole moment of a void. As if their hearts had paused, skipping a beat, then continued on. That evening during dinner the announcement was formally made that Randall would be leaving the farm. Rick was the one who spoke. When asked where he would be taken, Rick said he'd take a look at the maps that Wilhelm had had, try to decide which direction would be the best to head in. At least twenty miles out was the goal.

"Shane and I will take him, we'll give him some supplies, but no weapons," Rick had told them.

Everyone tried their best to not turn their heads and stare down the hall, to the bedroom that Randall was being kept in. Some were feeling guilty that they had actually begun to ignore the fact that Randall was still there.

Hershel had broken the silence, changing the topic. "It's due time that we all started thinking about what we'll do once winter gets here." He looked over at Alana, she being the only one who wasn't from Georgia and so wouldn't know just how cold it would get. "Nights will get down the to the 30's usually. Not accounting for the wind. It's for the best if you all move in to the house," he told the others. "Tomorrow we can discuss the finer details."

Daryl had tensed slightly when Hershel said that everyone should come into the house. His thoughts turned to Alana, wondering if they'd have to share their room with someone else, or be forced to sleep out in the living room. He could tell by the way that Alana instinctively straightened herself in her chair that she was thinking the same.

He began trying to recollect how many rooms were in the house. There were the two downstairs. Upstairs there was presumably a master bedroom, where Hershel slept, and two other bedrooms. He had overheard Glenn talking one day to Dale. He had mentioned something about Maggie sharing her room with Beth and also Patricia. The last room was where Jimmy slept.

Five. So there were five bedrooms. Daryl began thinking over where everyone could possibly sleep. He didn't doubt that Rick, Lori, and Carl would be given one of the bedrooms. That left four. The second would likely be left to Maggie, Patricia, and Beth. The third room upstairs, the women would likely be given all the rooms first, so that would leave the third room to Carol and Andrea. Downstairs, it could be Shane on the couch in the living room. There was enough room, they could set out some sleeping bags, Hershel and Jimmy could sleep out there too. Or maybe not, Daryl wasn't too sure that Hershel would want to share sleeping quarters with Shane. Even then, that still left T-Dog, Dale, and Glenn, aside from himself and Alana.

Daryl stabbed at the last bit of food on his plate. What should it matter if they had to share the room with someone else? Or if they were put in different rooms? There was nothing between them that made it mandatory for them to share a room, there was no romantic link. They're weren't Rick and Lori…that wasn't the best of examples, he thought. But still, there was no point in him mulling over the rooming arrangements. He needed to distance himself from those sorts of thoughts, they only led to…emotions, that he wasn't armed for accepting.

It was just a friendship…that was it. Friendship. Albeit, it was a peculiar one to say the least. But as far as he was aware, Alana took no issue with it, accepting the link and boundary between them.

And yet still, after dinner, Daryl stood in the bedroom, looking over everything. It was possible that come the next day he and Alana would have a third person in the room. Or they would be kicked out into the living room. Or she might be grouped with someone else. It was pointless to ignore the thoughts Daryl realized.

He was shaken from his thoughts when he caught Alana swaying side to side, standing in front of one of the walls.

She turned her head towards him and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe if we pee on the walls no one will want to come in here," she whispered, going back to her swaying motion. Her strange little movements were enough to get a smirk out of him; he could just imagine her attempting to pee her name on the wall. And failing miserably.

But as much as her thought amused him, Daryl still couldn't shake it from his mind that that night may be the last they would get to spend alone. It was one thing to be alone with her, but if they were moved to the living room, or someone was put in the bedroom with them…what the hell would he do then?

Alana never said anything, never visibly judged his peculiar actions towards her. He knew if anyone else was to see how he acted with her in private, they wouldn't be able to keep their mouths shut; they'd say something about the way he would stick his hand out and brush her arm anytime they passed each other. How he'd go out of his way, making himself look like a complete idiot, trying to slide out from the bed without waking her. Or how when sometimes speaking to her, he would stand back, waiting to see if he had said the right thing, waiting for her approval. And she never once said anything to him about any of those things. Her smile towards him was never condescending. Never judgmental. And she never once pushed him. That night, after the storm, when he feared that he had done the wrong thing, crossed a line with her…she had done nothing. She hadn't pushed him further, hadn't questioned his actions.

She had just accepted it, without question.

It was during the next day that discussion began about where everyone would be sleeping. Nothing had been set in stone; there wasn't anyone going around jotting down names and telling people where they'd be sleeping. But anytime the topic came up and Daryl was around, the others tended to pretend he wasn't there. And they pretended to be oblivious to the existence of the room he shared with Alana, referring only to the other four bedrooms and the living room.

He eventually got wind that everyone would be moving in to the house the next day. After Rick and Shane took Randall in the morning, the others would begin packing up and moving in. Daryl was still rather left out of the loop as far as rooming assignments went. During their patrol of the farm he asked Alana if she had heard anything. But of course he had made it sound as if he didn't care. Alana knew better than that, but she said nothing of it.

"I haven't heard anything," she told him.

So perhaps they were going to be left alone. If no one had bothered to speak with either of them maybe that meant no one would be intruding their space.

On returning to the farm after patrol, the two of them were approached by Dale. He nodded as he approached the two of them; once they had met up with him, Dale fell in step with them, at Alana's side, as they walked towards the farmhouse.

"You wouldn't mind if I left some of my stuff in your room, would you? Just a pack or two." He was speaking to Alana, though he knew when Daryl snapped his head over towards him. "I'll be sleeping out in the living room. With T-Dog and Shane. Rick's said it'd be best to leave our stuff packed, you know, just in case. Room's going to be pretty packed as is."

"No, of course. We have plenty of room," Alana told him and Dale quickly smiled. Looking slightly over to Daryl, Alana asked, "What are the rest of the sleeping arrangements then?"

Dale told them the entire layout of the house. He would of course be sharing the living room with T-Dog and Shane. Rick, Lori, and Carl of course were getting Hershel's old room. Maggie and Patricia would be staying with Beth in her room. Carol and Andrea were staying in the third room upstairs. That left Hershel to stay with Jimmy and Glenn. "Rick said it would be best to have the bulk of our strength downstairs, as a precaution.

That night sleep came to Daryl with more ease, knowing that he and Alana would keep the room to themselves. He was slightly put off by the fact that Dale would be coming in and out to get his things. He'd have to remember in the morning to check and see if the door had a lock on it or not.

The morning that Randall would be leaving the farm, Daryl woke up and as he headed to the bathroom glanced down at the doorknob.

There was a lock.

WDWDWD

Everyone had woken up it seems at nearly the same time. It was unclear if they simply all wanted to see Randall be taken away, or if they just wanted to busy themselves and not think about it. No one was truly sad to see Randall go. His group had, after all, attacked them. Giving him the chance to survive was enough to ease their minds. Just as long as that chance was far away from them.

Rick and Shane had picked out a few roads they'd take based on the maps.

Jimmy had given them an iPod he had found and headphones. They were shoved into Randall's ears and the volume turned up. A cloth sack was tossed over his head and taped round where his ears were, to keep the headphones in place. Everyone remained quiet as he was loaded into the back of Shane's car. Rick got in on the driver's side.

Once the car had driven off down the road the group found the ability to move again. Daryl shouldered his crossbow and looked over at Alana. She had hers as well. He had told her when they woke up that he was taking her hunting. They had plenty of deer meat still left over, but he wanted to start stockpiling for the winter. He knew of some ways to preserve it. He figured their best bet currently would be to salt all the meat. There had been plenty of salt left over at the pharmacy and little food shop in town; guess no one really saw any reason as to why they'd be needing salt after the shit hit the fan. Salting process would take awhile though; best just to air-dry the meat. Could probably use Hershel's oven.

Daryl had told Alana that he'd show her how to cure any squirrels she caught. She listened intensely while walking through the woods as he explained to her what exactly she'd have to do.

"Gonna skin them. Gonna have to take the bones out too," he told her. "Stick them in some salt water, put them in the oven."

"That's it?" Alana asked, following behind him, nearly stepping in the same spots as him. He turned back to look at her as if she had said she'd just seen a unicorn.

"Ain't as easy as it sounds," he drawled, "you're gonna have to have cut the meat off the bones. Without wasting no meat."

"Yes, well, in order to do that we first have to catch something."

"Then shut your mouth."

"You've been the one chatting away," Alana muttered. Daryl didn't say anything back, only shaking his head.

They had been out for a while, not finding any game, when Daryl noticed some tracks. It looked like something had been dragged through the woods. And he knew what that meant. A walker. Looking behind him to Alana, Daryl figured it would be a good idea to teach her how to track. He pointed down towards the tracks as she came to stand beside him.

"See anything?" he asked her.

She squinted, staring at the spot. Before she could shake her head Daryl told her to look at the ground around the area. It was like her eyes were focusing in and out, unsure. But then she saw what he saw. There were two tracks. One looked almost normal, a slight graze on the ground. The other was much deeper, as if something heavy had been dragged.

"Probably got a fucked up leg," Daryl told her. He then pointed ahead of them and just like that a trail popped up before Alana's eyes. If she just so much as looked slightly to the left or right of it, the trail disappeared. She and Daryl walked on either side of it. He showed her how the leaves were rustled up; how to find the mess within the woods. Wasn't exactly easy for Alana. The woods looked like an overall mess to her. She was so intent on keeping the trail that it took Daryl pushing her back for her to realize they had come upon the walker.

It was male. Was probably in his thirties when he died. And just as Daryl had said, its right leg appeared to be broken or at least twisted. Its chest was torn open, as if something had torn at the flesh. They watched as it just stood there, turning bout on its good leg, shoulders hunched over, as if it was…tired. Alana stepped forward, crossbow held up. The walker looked up at them then and saw Alana approaching. It began moving, but much too quickly, and crumbled to the ground where it began to drag itself towards her. Daryl began to panic when Alana stopped where she was and allowed the walker to get closer. It reached out for her foot and that's when Alana pulled the trigger.

The walker's head fell to the ground with a _thud_, hand barely grazing Alana's boot.

There was something unsettling about the look on her face; there was a hint of the look from the night Wilhelm died. It was cold.

"We're not going to find anything out here. Let's just head back. We'll try again tomorrow," Alana said, still staring down at the walker.

They began heading back, Daryl walking behind her. He kept staring at her back, brows scrunched up, questioning whether he should say anything to her. He figured he knew what she was thinking when she killed that walker. About Wilhelm. And about Randall.

Neither of them had spoken about Randall. Daryl knew that she would have preferred to just kill Randall and be done with it. She had never voiced that thought to anyone in the group, except Dale. And Dale, while unpleased by her opinion, thought he understood why she would take such a position on the matter. Randall had shot at her. And Wilhelm was gone. She was probably feeling angry at the fact that someone like Randall was still alive while Wilhelm wasn't.

Truth was that Alana was logical. No matter what, when it came down to it, she really was an army brat. A soldier. It was her job to assess any given situation and figure out the best course of action.

And in concerning Randall, best course of action was to kill him. The fact that he was currently being whisked away only served to crawl under her skin.

Daryl had figured it would be a good idea to take Alana hunting that day, give her an excuse to shoot things and blow off some steam. He was pretty sure it hadn't worked though.

At one point Daryl made a comment about Randall, saying how they were wasting gasoline taking his ass out just to dump him somewhere, thinking perhaps that would get a response from her.

"He'll be dead soon enough. Probably last three days max," she had told him with a wisp of nonchalance in her voice.

When they reached the farm it was nice, for a change, to not have the group look at him depressingly and angrily when he told them they hadn't caught anything. He did mention the walker to T-Dog and Glenn, who were getting ready to go on a patrol.

Daryl headed inside to drop their crossbows off in their bedroom while Alana headed over to the water pump outside the house. Walking through the living room he saw three piles of possessions against one of the walls. The house was echoing with noise from everyone.

Dale walked up to him then, holding a backpack. Daryl guessed it must have been his clothes. "You mind if I put this in your room?" he asked Daryl, looking down at the backpack.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. Alana had already said he could. He followed Daryl down the hall to the bedroom. Dale stood in the doorway, looking round the room, looking for a spot that would be out of the way. He ended up putting it right next to the door, making it easy for him to just pop in and grab it when needed. Daryl stuffed the crossbows in the small closet.

Lingering in the hall, Daryl peeked over into the other bedroom. He saw Jimmy setting up sleeping bags. He figured the sleeping bags would be for him and Glenn, while Hershel got the bed. There were fresh sheets and blankets folded up on the edge of the bed. It must have been the old sheets that Randall had used that he had seen Patricia washing outside as they approached the house.

Daryl dodged everyone to get out of the house and join up with Alana. She was rinsing off her hands and cleaning the bolt she had used on the walker. He told her to keep the bolts separated.

"Got a bottle of nail polish. Ya can use it to mark the ones ya wanna use for walkers," he said. "What?" he said gruffly when he saw the look on her face. She shook her head. Leave it to Daryl Dixon to utilize whatever he needed to survive. "Come on, Maggie put the rest of the deer in the freezer. I'll show ya how to air-dry it."

They could faintly hear Lori, Andrea, and Dale arguing over how the cars should be set up, whether they should be placed in a circle around the house or lined up in the front, as they rounded the house.

Alana huffed when it was clear that there would be no decision made. She twisted round from the porch. "No matter what you do those cars are going to do nothing more than block our view. Put them in a circle and we'll have to have someone sitting on top each one. Line them all up, we'll still have to sit on them. So you might as well just leave them where they are."

She turned back round, muttering in German. Daryl looked behind them, seeing that the three had moved on, leaving the cars in place.

Carol was in the kitchen, making sandwiches for everyone, when the two of them entered.

"We gotta cook the meat first," Daryl was telling Alana while Carol watched them begin pulling bags of the meat out. Daryl ended up just taking a small bag of the meat out, leaving the rest alone. He wanted to make sure the oven was going to work.

"Anything I can do to help?" Carol asked him. She looked over and smiled gently at Alana.

"You can thaw the meat out, cook it for us," Alana told her. She didn't exactly want to be stuck in the kitchen having to do the work herself. Carol warmly took on the job, looking back as Daryl grabbed a large jar from one of the cabinets. He was telling Alana to find the salt. Carol quickly told her where it was stored.

Alana poured the salt in to the jar until Daryl told her to stop. He then filled it up with water, screwing the cap on. Carol had placed the meat in the sink and was finishing up the sandwiches. For a moment the three of them stood in the kitchen in silence until their heads perked up, all of them hearing the sound of gravel under tire.

"Took them long enough," Alana said, heading towards the door.

Daryl looked down at Wilhelm's watch. She was right.

"Probably all had a Oprah moment, hugs an' kisses all round," Daryl told her as he followed after her. Carol watched their retreating backs. She looked back down at the sandwiches.

Alana looked over at Rick as he got out from the car. She did a second glance as she noticed the disarray he appeared to be in. Shane as well. The both of them were walking to the back of the car. Rick held a hand up, as if telling those who had gathered to be quiet. Alana stood rigidly on the porch, watching. Daryl looked over her shoulder.

Randall was pulled out from the back of the car and dragged over to the small shack that was used for slaughtering the animals on the farm.

"What the fuck…" Daryl said under his breath.

Alana was pointing a hand over to the shack as Rick and Shane came back.

"What the hell is that?" she asked. "Why is he back here?" The others echoed her words.

Rick held a hand up, taking that typical stance of his.

"He knows Maggie," he said. Shane was behind him, huffing.

Everyone turned and looked at Maggie, who was completely bewildered.

"Said he went to school with her."

"Bullshit!" Alana said coldly. She looked to Shane; he had to be thinking the same thing too. Why hadn't he done anything to stop Rick?

"How do you know he didn't just hear one of us talking and decided to take a chance and _say_ that he went to school with her?" Daryl added.

"We couldn't just leave him out there, if he isn't lying then he may know where the farm is."

Alana stood her ground. "Well then you should have killed him."

The group was stunned into silence as they looked up to her on the porch.

Alana shook her head, looking over to the shack. "Well what's your plan now?"

It was evident by his silence that Rick didn't have a plan. And that just irritated her even more. She began laughing ironically, thinking that Wilhelm had done _such_ a great job at picking out a group for them to join. And now she had to deal with them on her own.

She looked behind her to Daryl.

"We need to find out what he knows. Where this group of his is from, how many of them there are. We need to know everything he knows." She began to turn and head into the house. "Daryl and I will interrogate him."

She stopped and turned around again. "And someone needs to be put on watch, make sure he doesn't get away."

"Are we really going to do this?" Dale asked, stepping forward. "We're just going to…torture that boy?"

Shane shook his head. "That ain't just some boy. He shot at Rick and them. He tried to shoot her," he said, pointing at Alana. "What you think is gonna happened when word gets back to them that we killed some of their group? Huh? They're gonna come looking for us." Shane looked over at Rick. "We need to find out about his group. Where they are, how many they are, everything."

Rick stood there between Shane and Alana, battling with himself over what to do.

Shane huffed. "You wanna protect this group?" he asked Rick.

WDWDWD

Carol had placed the large plate of sandwiches on the dinning room table and the group filtered slowly through to get their share. Carol had also filled the sink with hot water and had the meat soaking in it, to thaw it out quickly. Alana had been in the bedroom since coming in.

Daryl came into the room slowly, the click of the door resonating against the walls. He leaned against the door.

"How ya wanna do this?" he asked her.

She looked from the chair that she was sitting in. She had one of the bolts Daryl had made out of a long twig. She had snapped it into three bits and was sharpening the ends.

"Ya sure you're wanna go in there?"

She nodded.

Daryl fidgeted. "Done this before?"

Alana nodded.

She stood up, grasping the three sharpened twigs in one hand, the pocketknife in the other.

He followed hesitantly behind her as she left the house. Outside Rick met them.

"Just get the information we need out of him," he told the two, though his eyes lingered longer on Alana.

WDWDWDWD

The sack was still on Randall's head. His hands were cuffed behind his back. Alana turned around to Daryl, holding a hand out to stop him. He waited back as she stepped forward. She pulled the sack from Randall's head, yanking the headphones from his ears. He instantly began speaking.

"Please. I know Maggie. I ain't like those other guys. I'm just trying to survive."

The constant rattle flowed right through Alana's ears. She crouched down in front of him, looking down at his knee. She looked up at him. Randall became quiet when Alana didn't say anything to him. He looked over to Daryl. "Please, you gotta believe me. I can take you to my group. We're real small just like you guys."

He began to panic when Alana pushed him to the side, twisting one of his arms round. He whimpered, trying to hold back screams as Alana slowly twisted one of the sharpened twigs under his thumbnail. Alana could see it as it drove under his nail. She twisted it in the opposite direction as she pulled it back out. Pushing him back in place, Alana wiped the bit of wood on Randall's pant leg.

"You're going to tell him what he wants to know," she told Randall, nodding her head over to Daryl. "And your group isn't small. Only reason your group would send out five members would be if you still had enough muscle left back at camp. So again, you're going to tell him what he wants to know."

The boy was still begging as she stood up and stepped back. She grabbed a small stool and moved to set it where Daryl was standing.

When she sat down, Daryl stepped forward towards Randall.

Alana continued to sharpen the twigs.

**Yay! Another chapter done! Wanted to hurry and get this posted so sorry about not responding back to your reviews, but I did read them all and loved them all! And I totally agree with all of them too! I want to keep all the characters alive, haha, but alas I must make some very hard choices. Luckily I still have some time to figure that out…I think…haha. So glad you all are happy with the way I've been pacing Alana and Daryl's relationship. And now that Randall's back on the farm, that's certainly going to be a bump in the road for the two of them, having to focus on finding out about this other group. But of course there's always a bump in the road for them. **

**And Alana's gotten a bit dark with this interrogation…do you guys think she should go further? All the info that Randall gives to Daryl in the show is still going to be in the story, and I'm going to of course add Alana's reaction to the info, especially the whole bit about how Randall's group raped those young girls while he just watched. Question is, how do you all think she should react to that information in particular? I don't see her snapping, but I do think she would at least become hostile towards him. **

**Oooo and let me know what you all think of this ending bit to this chapter. It was a bit difficult to figure out how to write. Depending on how the beginning of the next chapter works out, I may come back and edit this chapter. **


	30. Chapter 30

It was tiring on Daryl to get anything out of Randall. The boy would insist that he was innocent; of what, Daryl had no clue. After awhile he could feel the skin beginning to break on his knuckles. The boy continued to tell them that he meant them no harm, that he was just trying to survive.

Daryl believed that Alana was right when she said that Randall's group was likely larger than their own. They had sent out at least five men that they were aware of; they must have left a larger, still strong, number behind then. He continued asking the boy how many people were in their group. He punched him in the shoulder, reeling his hand back and inspecting his knuckles. He shook his hand and looked over to Alana. He took a step back, as if he was giving her leave to step in and question Randall.

The boy caught on quickly; saw the looks exchanged between Daryl and Alana. Up to that point, he had been forcing himself to ignore her, sitting there against the door. She had stopped sharpening the twigs. She had set them and the pocketknife on the ground, sitting calmly on the stool. It disturbed him that she hadn't so much as looked over at him since taking that seat, hadn't even flinched, not even once, when blow after blow landed on him from Daryl. Nor did she tense or cower from his cries.

Alana was looking at him now, now that Daryl had stepped back from him. She hadn't moved yet, but just the calm in her eyes was enough to force the words from his mouth.

"I don't know, maybe thirty of us. We got women and children too. And some old folk," he rambled out, looking back and forth between her and Daryl. He had a desperate look in his eyes, vying for approval.

Daryl stepped back forward, blocking Alana from Randall's view. "Why the hell you shoot at my boys, huh?" He reached out and jerked Randall to the side, forcing him to look at Alana. "She gotta pretty nasty scrape, dodging your fucking bullet."

"I'm sorry!" Randall pleaded. "I was scared, I didn't even wanna go with them! They always drag me with them, like bait." He looked over to Alana. "I'm real sorry, I am. Please, just take these cuffs off, I ain't gonna run off."

"Like hell you are," Daryl muttered, shoving him back. "What kinda fucking group are ya, going round shooting anyone ya meet."

The boy didn't speak, but he began to push himself further against the wall when Alana stepped around Daryl, one of the sharpened twigs in hand.

"Hold him down," she said quietly to Daryl.

Daryl looked down at her hand, at the twig. He was unsure if he should do as she said. He wasn't even completely comfortable with having her in there with him. He should be doing this on his own. This was no place for her. But what urged him more than anything else to want her gone from there was the thought lingering his head that she had done this before. And it was more than a thought. He _knew_ she had done things like this before. It scared him, knowing that. Knowing that there was part of her that was like him, willing to sully herself, to be the bad guy, so others could keep themselves squeaky clean.

But he reminded himself to acknowledge her presence there next to him, while everyone else waited outside, pretending to have no part in all this. They all wanted the information, but none were willing to come in there and get it. Except him. And Alana. And she had been the one to volunteer both of them, because who else would have done so? Who else would have been willing to go in there and do what needed to be done, without losing a part of themselves?

Daryl crouched down, pushing Randall's legs into the ground and holding his upper body still as Alana came to crouch next to them.

"Tell us more about your group," she said to Randall, holding the sharpened twig lightly in one hand. "There are women? And children, you said." Randall nodded his head wildly. "How many children?" Randall's facial expression changed, to something between confusion and sheer emptiness. "How many children?"

Daryl pushed his weight forward onto Randall's legs and he whimpered.

"Three! There's three!"

"Three. That isn't many," Alana observed. "What are their names?"

She and Daryl both watched Randall's face, seeing the panic.

"There's a lotta of people in the group, I-I don't know everyone's name! Please…"

"Just three kids?" Daryl snapped at him. "And ya can't remember their names?"

"A group of thirty people, and only three children? Now, if I was in a group that large, and there were only three children, I'm pretty sure I'd know their names. So, tell us the truth. There aren't any women, or children, in your group, is there?" Alana just stared at him, waiting for an answer.

Alana nodded down at Randall's leg, where Hershel had done the stitches. She looked over at Daryl. He could see that she was going to reach for her pocketknife and so he took his out first.

"Bet that would hurt, tearing that scab off," Daryl told Randall, the point of that knife getting closer and closer to his leg.

"Alright! Alright!" Randall cried, trying to twist away from them. "There ain't no kids in the group!"

"What about women?" Daryl asked, holding his knife against Randall's leg.

The boy shook his head. "There ain't none. Just two. There's just two. Real mean bitches." He immediately looked over at Alana and began apologizing. "I ain't like the others, you gotta believe me."

"Then what are the others like if they aren't like you?" Alana questioned.

"They armed?" Daryl asked.

Randall nodded. "Lots of ammo."

"What are the others in your group like?" Alana asked again.

Randall wouldn't look at her, kept turning every other which way but towards her.

"They ain't the nicest, alright? They're the ones doing everything. I ain't never done like them, I swear."

"What did they do?" Daryl asked him. When he shook his head, he pushed the tip of the knife into Randall's scab.

"Okay, okay! Two weeks back, we found this camp. This old guy. He had two daughters. Now I-I didn't do nothing, I swear, it was the others. They made him watch. And-and afterwards, they just left him there, alive. Didn't even kill him, just left him. But I, I didn't do anything to those girls, I mean it."

Daryl fought against himself, to keep from shoving that knife right through Randall's throat. He felt a jolt and looked up to see Alana had stood, a hand resting on his shoulder.

"We're done here," she told him, still staring down at Randall.

"What? What do ya mean? Please don't leave me here! I won't hurt anyone! I promise! I'm sorry I shot at your group! I am! Please, please!" Randall continued to cry out to them until Alana closed the doors to the shack.

Alana headed over to the farmhouse. It appeared that not everyone was able to stay nearby and stomach listening to Randall's pleas. Waiting on the porch were Rick, Lori, Andrea, and Carol. As Alana and Daryl approached, Shane and Dale joined the gathering.

When they reached the porch Alana held out a hand to Andrea. She was holding a water bottle. She handed it over to Alana who proceeded to pour the contents over her hands, rubbing the blood off.

"Well?" Rick asked, a grave undertone to his voice.

"Bout thirty in their group," Daryl said. "He lied, saying there was women and children, but there ain't."

"Are they a threat?" Rick asked, eyeing Daryl's hands.

"They're heavily armed," Alana told him. "And if they show up here—"

"It ain't gonna be pretty for the women," Daryl finished, straining to keep his eyes from glancing over to Alana. He rubbed his knuckles.

"What happened to your hands?" Carol asked, seeing the broken skin, but Rick spoke up again and the focus was taken off of Daryl.

"Randall is a threat and needs to be taken care of." Alana could see that it was taking every ounce of strength from Rick to say the words with any sort of authority. The man was not comfortable with playing the judge. She questioned mentally if he'd be able to play the part of executioner.

Dale shook his head, eyes wide. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Means we kill him," Shane said with a hard face. "We can't just let him go, boy's gonna run back to his group and lead them right back here if we do."

"Everyone just stay away from the shack. Andrea, stay on guard outside." Rick looked to the others. Without another word he walked away.

Daryl took the moment of stunned silence to head into the house. Alana thought of following after him, but then decided to go after Rick. She caught up with him at the barn. Her guess was that he had headed there to clear his mind. The man had just passed decision that they'd be killing someone on the farm. A living someone. When she caught up with him, he was walking back and forth in the empty barn.

"You sure you're up to this?" she asked him, tapping on one of the doors to the barn.

He looked up to her, his eyes distant. He nodded his head. "Has to be done."

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, but you don't have to be the one to do it."

Rick shook his head. "You and Daryl have done enough. No need for you to always be the bad guys."

Alana began to step away, but Rick called out to her.

"What would Wilhelm do?" he asked. The man looked lost. As if he had no one to confide in. No one whose advice he could trust.

Alana wasted no time in answering him.

"He would have left him on that fence to die. We gave his group a chance and both times they attacked us."

Rick nodded.

As Alana left the barn and headed back to the house she passed Dale, a look of saddened dismay on his face. Alana did indeed feel pity for him. That man was the voice of reason of the group. But sometimes the role of that reason was to remain nothing more than a voice.

Inside the house Alana nearly ran into Carol as she turned down the hall. The older woman was carrying a box of bandages and ointment in her hands. When Alana entered the room she shared with Daryl she saw that his hands were clean, the sheen of the ointment over his knuckles. She wasn't surprised to see that he hadn't bothered to put any bandages on them; would only get in the way. When she entered the room Daryl almost began to say something, but when he saw it was her, he kept his mouth closed.

Alana moved to sit on the bed with him, but saw the stains on her hands as she reached out to steady herself on the mattress. She sighed and headed out to the bathroom to better clean them. When she returned, Daryl was still sitting in the same spot; looked as if he hadn't moved even the slightest, not even in breathing.

"You alright?" she asked as she closed the bedroom door. She came and sat next to him on the bed, keeping her distance.

Daryl didn't know what to say. He didn't even know what those girls looked like, but he couldn't get them out of his head. How the hell could that boy say he wasn't like the others in the group when he didn't even try to do a damn thing to help those girls? He was fucking scum just like the rest of his group. He looked down to Alana's legs. It was getting colder earlier into the days and she was wearing a pair of jeans, the knee brace over them. He was reminded of her wound. And of the one on her shoulder. If that group…if they found the farm…Alana was strong. She could take care of herself, but with those wounds, the scars still forming, she could easily be overtaken. And then…Daryl wouldn't allow himself to finish the thought. It was something he couldn't accept the possibility of happening.

And the farm…it was never the safest place, only safer. But now it was less safe. What if that group found them? They wouldn't see them until they were right on top of the farm. There were only two roads out, they'd easily follow them and with cars littering all the roads, they wouldn't get very far.

Minutes had passed, from when Alana had asked him that simple question that yielded complicated answers. He became aware then that she had rested her head against his shoulder. He found it strange that he didn't even flinch when he realized it.

Alana knew what he was thinking. How could anyone not think of it? If that group found them, the men would instantly be dead. And the women would wish they were dead. But Alana wasn't sure how to feel about that; what emotions she should be going through, knowing that she could possibly be raped.

Daryl eyed the closet, where he had set their crossbows. It was thought that he and Alana would spend the entire day out hunting and so neither had been given any patrols for the day. But he wasn't about to just sit around on the farm. He needed to get away for a while. He couldn't just sit there with her and not think of what could happen to her.

He stood up and walked over to the closet.

"We don't have patrol today," Alana said to his back. Daryl didn't dare to look at her. When he turned towards the door Alana was still sitting on the bed. She didn't say another word as he left the room.

She could hear Dale call out to Daryl as he walked away from the farmhouse. Alana couldn't hear anything that was said between them. Didn't know where he was going. Likely back into the woods, to let off steam.

Alana sighed and laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

WDWDWD

It didn't take long for everyone on the farm to find out what was to be Randall's fate. It appeared that Dale was the only one who opposed it. He couldn't understand how everyone was so willing to forfeit a human life. He had questioned something that Rick had said not too long ago. _We don't kill the living._ What had happened to that? Seemed that everyone had the same answer. It went out the window the moment the living started coming after them.

Alana had remained in the bedroom, alone. She had ventured out only once, to go to the kitchen and put the deer meat back in the freezer. Her lessons in preserving meat would have to wait till another day. She then returned to the bedroom. In passing Alana thought she had heard Lori ask her if she had seen Carl. She merely shook her head, half answering her and half ignoring her.

Daryl had been gone for a while. When a knock came at the door she thought it was him, but it was Dale who came in. The man looked defeated. Alana sat up from the bed, from staring up at the ceiling. Dale sighed and went to sit in the chair. He carefully moved the bundle of clothing from it and set it down on the floor with the other clothing.

"I tried talking to the others," he began telling her, taking his hat off and rubbing at his head. He scoffed. "Everyone wants Randall dead. I…I just don't get it."

"Not much to get," Alana told him. "World's changed. And we changed with it."

"But do we have to? Do we really need to change this much? We're about to kill a boy. We do that and…we lose our humanity."

Alana shrugged her shoulders. "What do you want me to do? Champion Randall and speak for him?"

"Well someone should," Dale offered.

Alana shook her head. "I will not support that boy unless it's as we're tossing his body in the ground." Alana bit her lip. "That _boy, _he watched as his group raped two girls, the father forced to watch. He says he didn't do anything to them, but you know what else? He also didn't do anything. Nothing to help them. He had a choice. And he chose _not _to save those girls." She sighed. "I understand why you want to give him a chance to prove himself. I really do. You mean good Dale, I know you do. But Randall can't stay here. Not alive. He is a threat."

Dale slouched back in the chair, defeated yet again. "Rick said I had the rest of the day, to get the others to change their minds. To let Randall live."

"They're all either scared or logical. But neither requires heart to make a decision. You are the heart of this group. The voice of reason. We need you. We really do. Just because we don't change our minds doesn't mean we're ignoring you." Alana looked over to the window. "What did Daryl say?"

Dale shook his head. "Said the group is broken. Said he didn't care either way what was done with Randall, but…"

"Yeah," Alana said, both of them knowing Daryl did in fact care. She was still looking out the window, wondering where Daryl could have possibly gone off to. Dale must have been able to read the questions on her face.

"Glenn's with him." Alana looked over at him as he spoke. "Rick saw him going off, told Glenn to follow after him." She nodded, feeling some sort of comfort, knowing that he wasn't on his own.

Dale stood up and excused himself.

"You're the heart, remember that," Alana told him at the door. "So keep buggering on."

After he had left the room Alana suddenly felt itchy in the room, unable to find rest. She stood up and came out from the room. Heading outside she was nearly walked over by Carl who had come from the back of the house, his head twitching back to look behind him. Alana shook her head.

Andrea still stood watch by the shack. When she saw Alana coming, she stepped away from the shack and spoke quietly with her.

"Taking it he's shut up?" Alana said, eyeing the shack that was now silent.

Andrea nodded. "Somehow Carl got in there." Alana shook her head again. "Shane dragged him out, told him to stop trying to get himself killed. Of course Lori scolded Shane more than Carl." Alana scoffed.

"Every other sentence out of her mouth is 'Where's Carl?'"

Andrea had to agree with her.

"Dale come by and talk to you?" she asked Alana.

"Yeah." Andrea didn't have to ask what Alana's answer to him was.

They could see Rick back inside the barn. Looked like something was dragging behind him. Alana headed over to take a look.

She found him and Lori speaking. The conversation ended when she approached. Rick was fastening a noose from a coil of rope he'd been given by Jimmy. Alana just stared down at it intently.

Rick looked up. "We can toss it over one of the beams," he said. "It should hold."

Alana was thinking over what to say.

"Who's going to clean up the mess?" Both Rick and Lori stared at her. "You hang him and he's going to piss and shit himself. Best to just stick a bullet in his head. Choice is yours."

Rick looked down at the rope in his hands. In truth he had begun the noose because it gave him something to do, to focus on. He nodded over at Alana, coiling up the remaining rope and tossing it in the corner.

The three of them left the barn and went their separate ways at the house.

Alana returned to the bedroom, back to the bed, back to staring at the ceiling.

Eventually Daryl returned. Alana had pulled the DVD player out and was watching a movie. She didn't look up to him as Daryl entered the room. He set his crossbow back in the closet and walked over to his side of the bed, sitting down. He looked over his shoulder to her, but her eyes were still fixed on the small screen.

Neither spoke to each other for an hour. Afterwards Maggie came to tell them that everyone was gathering in the living room. When they came out Dale was looking to each person. He was asking if the group was really willing to kill a living person. He was making his final plea. The hurt and defeat on his face grew as each person sided against him. The worst was when Glenn spoke up that he couldn't agree with Dale.

"If we do this, we're saying there's no hope left," Dale told them.

Alana and Daryl stood in the small hall that led to the front door.

One by one they were all unable to look at Dale, shamed by his hurt, but unable to change their minds. Alana was surprised when Andrea spoke up, siding with Dale then. The shame must have been too much for her.

But Andrea alone wasn't enough to save Randall's life.

Dale hung his head as he left the room. Passing by Daryl he stopped and said, "You were right, this group is broken." He looked remorsefully over at Alana before living the house.

"Let's get this done with," Shane said once he was gone. Rick nodded. As the two left the room Daryl followed.

When he felt Alana behind him he stopped her at the door. "Stay here," he told her quietly, his eyes to the floor, ignoring everyone that could see them.

For a moment Alana faltered, but then nodded her head and stepped back, going to their room.

She sat and waited.

But the wait was too long. Too long for her liking.

She headed outside to see Carl being dragged from the barn by Rick. Shane huffing and puffing behind them. Daryl followed, pushing Randall ahead of him, back to the shack.

Lori came out from the house.

Alana watched the scene unfold before her, thinking it unbelievable. She didn't bother scolding herself when she thought that perhaps Rick would be a decent leader if he was rid of Lori and Carl. If he could just start making decisions as a survivor and not a husband or father.

Passing by the family, Alana walked over to Shane who was standing in the background, still huffing and puffing. He was eyeing Rick and his family as he spoke to her in a low voice.

"He ain't gonna go through with it. We gotta do it."

Alana looked over to the shack. Daryl was exiting it, heading their way.

"I'll take care of it. Just keep everyone out of my way," she told him before walking to the house to meet up with Daryl.

When she looked back at Shane she saw that he was still near Rick, keeping an eye on him and the others.

Alana vaguely jerked her head at Daryl as she headed over to her car. She opened the back door and was going through one of the packs. The one with the medical supplies. The pack of weapons was right next to it.

"Hold on to this," she told him, handing him a random bottle. She kept staring up, looking all around them.

Daryl looked down at her quizzically. Then he saw her unzip the gun bag and pull out a handgun, snatching a silencer too.

"What the hell ya doing?" he asked her in a hissing tone.

"Doing what needs to be done," she told him, quickly sticking the weapon under her shirt and tucked into her jeans.

She was zipping the bags back up when she felt Daryl move behind her, lifting her shirt. "I'll do it," he said gruffly. He hid the weapon under his own shirt. Alana turned around and stared at him.

He wanted Randall dead just as much as she did. Even more possibly. He wanted anyone who would harm her dead.

The door to the car blocked any view of them. As Daryl walked around her he reached out and gripped lightly at her hand.

He walked over the shack unseen, Alana and Shane keeping watch.

He crept inside and Randall squirmed a bit on the floor, the sack still over his head.

Daryl pulled the gun and silencer out, twisting the two pieces together.

Randall began whimpering, calling out to him, not knowing who was there, asking for help. Begging for life. Daryl stared down at the gun in his hands.

He was doing this for the group. For the protection of the group.

He curled his finger around the trigger.

There was a scream.

And more screams.

Then he heard Alana.

And Randall was forgotten as Daryl ran towards Alana's cries.

He could see her, far ahead of him, running into the fields. The others were behind her. But so far behind her.

It was so hard to see anything in the dark, but Andrea had a large flashlight, the light bouncing every which way as she ran. He kept catching glimpses of what was up ahead of them.

A walker.

He could hear Dale's cries.

He could see short glimpses of the old man as he twisted about the ground, trying to hold the walker away from him.

And then the two of them were gone, overtaken by some shadow.

It was Alana.

Her cries became frantic and demanding.

"Shoot it! Now! Shoot it!" she was yelling.

Daryl could see her wrestling with the walker, trying to kick it away from herself. But it had a grip on her brace, pulling itself closer to her with it. Dale stumbled to his knees, searching in the grass for his shotgun.

Alana kept kicking at the walker. She could feel its fingers trying to tear into her jeans. Into her skin. She could feel the pain increasing.

A shot rang out, followed by silence save for the thuds of running and heavy breathing of the group.

Alana looked up to Dale, a small trail of smoke coming from his shotgun. He took long breaths, steadying himself as he sat on the ground. Alana kicked the walker off of her lower body and scooted away. She wasn't quite positive of her ability to stand at that moment. Rick and Shane were the first to reach them, both checking to make sure the walker was truly dead.

"Shit," Shane muttered, looking at the scene.

There was a cow, or what was left of it.

When Daryl reached them Shane was helping Alana to stand, favoring her knee. Dale was looking himself over.

"Are you alright?" Rick was asking Alana. She nodded, pulling up her knee brace back into place.

Daryl couldn't recall much after that. He had stopped thinking the moment he reached her, slinging her arm over his shoulders and taking her from Shane. He helped her back to the house. She was trying so hard to move quickly, but Daryl wouldn't allow her. T-Dog had offered to help, but Daryl ignored him, focusing only on her. Though the pace was slow, it still got to her and Alana stumbled. Daryl was quick to catch her, pull her back up. He wouldn't scoop her up and carry her back, that would only hurt her pride. It'd sure as hell hurt his.

Some of the others had already made it back to the house, fussing over Alana as they arrived. Daryl told them all off and they scattered. He slammed the bathroom door open and helped her inside. He kicked the door closed and instantly began looking her over; holding her arms out, twisting them round, running his hands over her skin. Alana was rubbing at her neck, her face, staring down at her clothing. Neither of them could tell what blood, if any, was hers. She was standing against the sink and Alana used it for support as she lifted her shirt, looking at her stomach. There were red marks, possibly from the fall she took. Daryl stood back as she undid her brace and let it slip to the floor. He furrowed his brow at the sight of blood.

Alana instantly slid to the floor, kicking her boots off. Daryl moved quickly to the bathtub, turning the showerhead on. Alana cautiously stepped inside, clothes still on, rubbing at her leg, the blood streaming down and swirling round the drain. Daryl tore through the medicine cabinet, grabbing a bottle of rubbing alcohol. He poured the contents over her leg. He ignored that half of him was getting soaked by the water.

Alana shut the water off, bracing herself against the wall as Daryl wrapped a towel around her. She crawled out of the tub. Standing, she began undoing her jeans and crouched to the floor as she pushed them off. She sat on the floor, the towel wrapped round her to mid-thigh.

She and Daryl stared at her leg.

The stitches had torn.

Again.

Alana was the first to smile. And then she began to laugh.

Then she started to cry.

Daryl pulled her into his arms, crushing her into his chest.

"You're stupid, ya know that?" he said to her. "Who fucking tackles a walker?"

Alana laughed again. "It was a good idea at the time."

"I'll get ya some dry clothes," he told her, letting go of her and standing up.

Outside in the hall Alana could hear him speaking with Rick and no doubt the rest of the group, telling them that she was okay, her stitches had just torn. Again. When he came back in he helped her to stand. He crouched and eased her legs into a pair of large shorts. Wilhelm's. He wrapped her knee up, mumbling something about Hershel taking care of it in the morning. In truth the tear wasn't horrible. It was just the location that had caused so much blood. Daryl picked up her boots and jeans, looking to the floor, while she took her top and bra off, putting on a shirt too large for her. Wilhelm's. He ruffled her hair with the towel, drying it as much as possible.

They stood there for a moment, looking at the space between them.

"Better get back out there and get rid of the mess, might be other walkers come sniffing round," Daryl said to the floor.

"Yeah."

He helped her into their room and then grabbed his crossbow, leaving the room. She stood at the edge of the bed, staring off. A few moments later Daryl returned. He twisted open a bottle in his hand.

Antibiotics. He dropped them into her hand. He had brought a water as well.

"Just in case," he said.

Alana swallowed the pills and he took the bottle of water from her, setting it on the dresser.

"Shouldn't take too long," he told her, referring to getting rid of the mess.

Don't think, don't think. He kept telling himself it.

Daryl awkwardly leaned down and clumsily grabbed at the side of Alana's neck, kissing her quickly on the cheek. Pulling away, he said, "Don't do that shit again."

**Finally! A freaking kiss! Ok, well not exactly a kiss kiss, but it was still a kiss! It counts man! She was awake! It counts damn it! Haha. **

**And yeah….clearly I didn't kill Dale. I couldn't people! How could I kill Dale! I was so upset with the show when they did, screaming at the tv "you can't kill him! It's not in the comics! Bring him back now!" Haha. **

**So now I shall go off and prepare for the epic coming chapter It will likely take me a bit to get it written just because there's so much that goes on and I need to pick out what stays and what goes. And I have to decide what happens with Alana. **

**Question time!**

**What do you guys think I should do with Alana? Of course the walkers are gonna storm the farm and everyone gets split up, but where should Alana fit in all of that? Should she get separated on her own, go with Daryl, Andrea, anybody else? So pretty much, just tell me what you would like to see happen to Alana because I honestly haven't even begun to think of what I want to do with her for this bit. And if you have ideas about what happens to other characters don't hesitate to share those as well. First thing I think that I'm gonna do is make my "live" and "die" lists **


	31. Chapter 31

Alana couldn't be sure how long she stood there at the edge of the bed before sitting down. She stared at her knee. Wilhelm's shorts were so long on her, but she could still see the bulge of the bandages; Daryl had wrapped her knee with more bandages than necessary. He likely just didn't want to her move it too much and tear the stitches even more. That or he just wasn't thinking. Either way, Alana was grateful for his aid.

Her thoughts strayed from the condition of her knee back to Daryl.

She was rubbing at her neck when Dale knocked at the door. She faintly answered and he took heavy steps into the room. He looked pale and still shaken. He looked as if he had actually been bitten, the fear and worry still etched on his face from seeing Alana fight against the walker. He looked as if Alana had been bitten, guilt drenching his face.

Dale picked up his pack from beside the door, holding the straps meekly in his hands.

"Thank you," he told her, gratitude filling him then, fully realizing and appreciating that he was still able to say those words because of what Alana had done.

Alana nodded, not sure what to say.

"Thank you for not missing," she said after a thought, smiling. Though Dale had been close, it was dark and Alana had been unsure of just how well or poor his shooting skills were. She was glad that when it counted, they weren't poor.

Dale was still too rattled to do more than smile back.

"Daryl said your knee was okay…"

"Yeah, just tore the stitches. Again."

Dale nodded once more. He turned to leave. At the door he paused and turned back, remembering something.

"The others wanna make sure you're okay. Daryl threatened to string anyone up who bothers you." Alana smiled. "Said you don't need anyone babying you. I can just tell them you're resting."

"I'd appreciate that," said Alana. She doubted Daryl would be pleased to come back in and find the others crowding their room with their concerns and bodies.

Dale left the room, closing the door gently. She could hear him out in the living room speaking with the others. It sounded like Maggie and Andrea were out there with him. Hershel's voice echoed through the walls and she could hear him say that after a frightful night they could all do with some rest.

Rubbing her neck once again, Alana couldn't agree more with him.

She scooted all the way back onto the bed, propping her pillow against the headboard and sat against it. She hugged at her arms while staring at the pattern of the blanket she sat atop of.

Some moments later there came another knock and Alana knew it wasn't Daryl. Maggie came in, closing the door with her back as she held two mugs. Alana could faintly see the steam rising from them. Maggie looked over at her and smiled sheepishly, holding the mugs up. She spoke in a quiet voice. It seemed that with everyone's tensions so high no one was willing to speak too loud, in fear that what semblance of a normal world they still clung to could shatter.

"Dale said for us to leave you be," Maggie told her, staring at the mugs, "but…I just really need some excuse for this." She came and sat on the bed in front of Alana and handed her one of the mugs. Looking down at its contents she saw that it was hot chocolate. "Sorry there's no marshmallows. Patricia can make them from scratch…didn't think there'd be enough time to wait on them though."

"Thank you," Alana told her, sipping slowly from her mug, clutching it in both hands.

The two of them sat and stared down into their mugs as the contents decreased with each sip they took. Maggie looked over at the window. The curtains were drawn. She stood up and walked over to pull them back just a bit, just enough so that she could see when the men were coming back to the house. She came and sat back down with Alana, glancing over every few moments to the window.

"Dale tell you what Daryl told us? Stringing us up?" Maggie asked, smiling into her mug.

Alana nodded.

"Best drink these quickly then," Alana told, looking down at her mug.

Maggie finished a sip, shaking her head. "Don't worry, I told Glenn to signal when they're coming back," she told Alana with an amused look.

"You two seem to be doing well," Alana commented to her. Maggie blushed.

"I'll admit, at first I didn't want anything, more. But…at any moment you could be gone." Maggie looked back over to the window. "It's hard enough just trying to survive all this. I didn't want to do it alone."

Alana thought of herself and Daryl, how they were surviving. "Do you think if none of this had happened, that you and Glenn would have ever happened?"

Maggie was quiet for a moment as she finished her drink. "I don't know. But I'm happy, that I met him. Mostly scared of dying nowadays, but I'm still happy, because I know I have him."

There was a commotion outside and Glenn could be heard apologizing. He had dropped the shovels. Maggie rushed over to the window and closed the curtain, then reached out for Alana's mug, this excitingly frightened look on her face.

Maggie made for the door, stopping to look over at Alana. "He must really care about you. Just give him some time. He'll eventually figure out how relationships work."

Maggie's words had her questioning everything that was between her and Daryl. Is that what they had? A relationship? It was hard enough, just questioning what she and Daryl were, it worried her. But to put a title on what they were, it terrified her. What if something went wrong? Tonight was proof enough that anything could happen at any moment. If Dale hadn't shot the walker when he did, it would have surly torn into her knee and she wouldn't be lying in that bed right now. She'd have a bullet in her head. How would have Daryl handled that?

Alana felt hollow. She got up from the bed and pulled the covers back. She pulled the sheets up over her shoulders and buried her face in the pillow. The front door creaked open and Alana closed her eyes, not wanting to face Daryl, unsure of what he would do. Unsure of how she would react.

Tomorrow. She'd talk to him tomorrow.

WDWDWDWD

It had been decided that in the morning a few from the group would head out to check the fences, see if anymore walkers had gathered up there. They'd also go by to the creek. Hershel had said it was likely that the walker had gotten through from there, what with the sludge from the creek hardening up in the cold.

Daryl had offered to go. Andrea, T-Dog, and Shane would be going with him.

No one had said anything to him while they were disposing of the cow and walker about Alana. He was admittedly impressed that Glenn had kept his mouth shut; usually he never knew when to or how to keep it closed.

He was only given cause to shake his head when Glenn tripped and dropped the shovels on their way back to the farmhouse. As he headed into the house it didn't look like Glenn's clumsiness had awoken anyone. Heading down the hall he could hear someone ascending the stairs carefully.

The light was still on in their room, but Daryl found Alana under the covers, her face buried between the pillow and sheets. He fought to keep the door of the closet from creaking as he opened it to place his crossbow inside. He stared at her back.

He had hoped that she would still be awake when he returned.

Remaining quiet, Daryl grabbed clothes from his pile before heading into the bathroom to take a shower. He didn't care if others were trying to go to bed. He had gotten half soaked in the shower then gone outside to bury half a cow and a walker. He wasn't about to get into bed in the state he was in.

He stood in the shower for longer than needed, the small room filling with steam. Part of him didn't dare to go back into the bedroom. The majority of him didn't want to go back in actually. It had been stupid of him, he thought, to do what he did. To kiss her. Didn't have a clue what he was doing and yet he just kept digging himself further into the ground with her. And that kiss had pushed him down to the point of not being able to reach back up and climb out.

But she was down there with him, wasn't she? She hadn't rejected the kiss. Hadn't lashed out and slapped him. She had…well she had accepted it, he supposed. That had to be a good thing, wasn't it? Perhaps not knowing what he was doing was working for him.

For the first time he truly began to believe that he wasn't a fool, that, as confusing as the feelings were, Alana shared them with him. Stepping out from the shower and dressing, the part of him that had dared not go back into the bedroom had begun to recede. Wilhelm had joked and said she was his problem now. Daryl was beginning to see it as more than that now. Alana wasn't just his to look after, to protect in Wilhelm's place. She was his now.

But his confidence faltered out in the hallway as he reached out for the doorknob.

How could he take things any further when the dangers were so apparent? Alana had just risked her life, tackling a stupid walker, and it wasn't even for him that she did it. She did it to save Dale. But if she would do such a thing for someone else, to what extent would she go for him? She had risked her life for Dale, would she give her life for himself? How could he protect her if she was dead? Dead, because she saved him. That wasn't protecting her. It was leading her into a deathtrap.

Daryl had to protect her. It's what Wilhelm wanted. He'd protect her. Even if it was from himself.

He entered the bedroom, turning the light off and moving slowly through the room to his side of the bed. He went to bed, clinging to the side, away from her.

Tomorrow. He'd talk to her tomorrow.

WDWDWDWD

In the morning Daryl woke to find that sometime in the night Alana had once again scooted over to his side of the bed. She clung loosely to his arm. He tensed when he registered her touch. He pulled his arm from her and got up from the bed, leaving to go to the bathroom.

He'd talk to her, but certainly not first thing in the morning. And he had to actually figure out what to say.

As he closed the door behind him Alana opened her eyes, having been awake. She was awake, too, when he had come in during the night.

Maggie's words came back to her and she had to keep herself from bitterly laughing, both when Daryl had returned and just now when he had left the room. Wait for him to come around? It would appear to Alana that he wasn't coming around. But what did she know? It was evident that no one would ever know what went on in Daryl's head. He didn't know himself likely.

She was dressed when Daryl returned to the room and it caught him off guard, to see her sitting in the chair, tying up her boots.

"Good morning," she said to him, finishing with her boots.

"Morning," Daryl said quietly, opening the closet door to grab his crossbow and tube of arrows.

"Where are you going?" Alana asked, looking at his crossbow.

"Gonna head out, check the fences. Be back later."

Alana nodded.

And with that Daryl left. Alana sat in the chair, hearing as he and others left the house. She looked out the window to see that Andrea, Shane, and T-Dog were going with him, all piling into the old blue truck. She supposed she'd talk to him once he returned. Not caring to stay alone in the room though, she rose and left.

The morning was chilly and oatmeal was being prepared for breakfast. Daryl and the others had left without having breakfast. From the talk Alana heard, Shane didn't care to wait around for it to be ready, wanted to get out and take care of any other walkers that might be near by. She passed Rick in the living room and he informed her that she was on watch for the morning. Jimmy was currently out on top the RV. After breakfast she was to go and replace him. She'd be taking care of the walkies for the morning as well.

"Shane took one with him, they'll radio when they're on their way back," he told her.

She wished she could do more, but at least up on the RV no one would be bothering her. It would give her the time to think over just what exactly she'd say to Daryl when he got back. If all else failed, she'd possibly go speak with Maggie. She seemed to not be one to go about gossiping.

At the table Rick called out to everyone, giving the group their chores for the day. With the quartet gone to check the fences and creek he didn't think it necessary to send anyone out until the night patrol along the woodline. And after a pause, Rick told them of the plan for Randall. He'd be taken to another town and dumped there with no supplies. No one had anything to say about it. They all just wanted to be done with it all.

"Once the others get back, Daryl and I will drive him out and leave him."

So she wouldn't be talking with Daryl when he returned. At least it'd give her more time to think things over.

Finishing her bowl of oatmeal, Alana stood from the table and left. She dropped the bowl and spoon in the kitchen sink and headed back to her room. Dale was zipping up his backpack in the living room and Alana reached out to take it for him. With a lopsided smile he handed it over to her. Alana slung it over her back and headed for the hallway. She halted when she saw the door open to her room.

"What are you doing?" she asked to Carol's back. She was bent over, picking something up from the other side of the bed. She stood up, holding a basket full of clothes. The woman never fully smiled. From what Alana had been told by Dale, it sounded as if any proper happiness had been beaten out of her by her now dead husband. And with Sophia gone now…well, there wasn't much happiness to go around.

"I thought I would do some washing, just wanted to come in and get whatever was needed."

Alana nodded. She looked around and saw that the small pile of her own dirty clothes hadn't been touched. She walked over to it and picked it up. She placed it in the basket on top of Daryl's. Carol did the best she could to properly smile before leaving the room.

With a heavy sigh Alana grabbed her gear and headed outside to relieve Jimmy for the morning. The young man was eager to get back into the house and eat whatever oatmeal was left over.

Up on the RV she was in her own little world, hiding behind her sunglasses, looking down on everyone as they moved about. She wore the lumberjack hat Jimmy had given her. She could practically feel how ridiculous she looked, but she didn't care. She was warm. And the jacket T-Dog had given her was warm enough that she had no need to put on a long-sleeve shirt. She turned the volume up on the walkie and set it down in front of her, rifle laid down at her side.

It was close to noon when she heard footsteps coming her way. She looked back to see Lori. Being in her state, Alana went over to the edge of the RV to see what Lori wanted.

"Hey," Lori said, looking up and blocking the sun from her eyes.

"Hey."

"Lunch is kinda, fend for yourselves. Just wanted to check if you wanted anything."

"Yeah," Alana said, looking over to her car. "There's some fruit bars in one of the packs."

Lori nodded and walked off towards her car. She came back with two bars and went into the house to get a bottle of water. Alana told her she could take some bars for herself if she wanted. The creak of the front door had them both turning to see Carol heading back into the house with the clothes she had washed the day before.

She wasn't sure at first, but Alana chose to ask it anyways. There was one thing she had noticed about Lori and it was that she didn't hold back. At least when it concerned others and not herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Alana asked her. "About Carol."

Lori looked back up at her, nodding her head. "Sure."

"Does she…do anything, for anyone else?"

Lori looked confused for a moment. "She washes our clothes. Helps Patricia cook." She shifted her stance. "Why, is something wrong?"

Alana tore open one of the fruit bars.

"Do she and Daryl…have a past?" She felt like a fool, asking such a question. She sounded as if she was jealous. Well, she was, but that didn't mean she wanted to admit it. If more than anything, she wanted to know why it felt as if all of a sudden Carol had turned a cold shoulder to her. She remembered saying those things to her, when she confronted her about Daryl's distancing from the group after Sophia's death. After that she had begun to notice the difference in Carol's treatment towards her. But she pushed it aside, she was too busy trying to figure Daryl out.

"What?" Lori shook her head. "No. Is everything ok?"

Alana shrugged.

"I caught her this morning, in our room. Said she was getting the clothes to wash, but she had gone right past mine. Maybe it's nothing—"

"She's lost her husband and daughter. And…Daryl was the only one that really believed we'd find Sophia. Probably just guilt that has her putting him up on some sort of pedestal."

Alana nodded.

"Are you and Daryl okay?"

"I don't know." She hadn't intended to keep talking to Lori, to tell her more. But there was that part of her that felt it would explode if she didn't tell anyone of what Daryl had done. She'd prefer if it had been Maggie she was talking to, but she couldn't stop herself from keeping her mouth closed. "He kissed me. Last night."

Alana looked down to see Lori climbing up the ladder to join her. She sighed and pulled the other chair closer and sat down, looking out across the farm.

"Haven't done this since high school, god that feels like ages ago now, but…spill it," Lori said with a laugh.

Trying to contain her own laughter at the thought of how silly they were being, Alana told her of the night before. And of this morning. The laughter and smiles ended then.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Lori told her. "He's probably just trying to figure out what to do next. We all see him, how he treats you different from everyone else. He likely scared himself shitless after that kiss," she laughed. "But, don't worry about Carol. Trust me, you're all that's on his mind. Carol's just…she has nothing left and she's trying to fill that void."

Lori left and Alana had only her thoughts for company. She'd prefer if they left too. She finished the fruit bars and stuffed the wrappers in her pockets. It wasn't long after Lori left that the walkie crackled and Shane's voice came over the small speaker.

"Heading back now," he said.

Alana reached down and picked up the walkie.

"Alright," was all she said back in reply.

It was nearly an hour later when Alana spotted the truck returning. She turned the walkie off and began to gather her things. It was time for Maggie to come and take over watch. She was just stepping back onto the ground when the truck pulled up. Shane's laughter could be heard as he got out from the driver's side.

"Well look at you," he said as she came walking past them. "You look like a little Eskimo."

"And I'm just as warm as one," she commented back. She held her hand out to take the other walkie from him. "Did you find any more walkers?" she asked him and the others.

"Found two stuck in the fences," Andrea told her.

"What about the creek?"

Shane shook his head. "Looked like one had been there though, might have gotten loose and found its way over here."

"Where's Rick?" Daryl asked, ending their conversation. He was slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

Alana looked over at him for the first time since approaching the truck. "He's inside."

Without another word Daryl walked off to the house to find him. Andrea and T-Dog were already heading inside the house after him, eager to find something to eat.

"Hey," Shane said, when he saw Alana just standing there. "You alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just tired." She looked out over the farm. "Gets boring when the scenery doesn't change."

Shane looked over to the shack that Randall was being kept in. Glenn was sitting outside of it. "Rick tell you what he plans on doing?"

Alana looked over to the shack.

"Yeah."

Shane shook his head, his voice becoming quieter. "Knew he couldn't go through with it. You know why he ain't taking me with him? 'Cause he knows I'll just shoot the kid and be done with it. Nah, instead he takes Daryl. But I bet he'll shoot him too, if you ask him to." Shane watched her for a reaction.

"Perhaps," Alana told him. It was possible, if she could get him to speak with her.

"You sure you're alright?" Shane asked her again. Alana nodded. He followed after her into the house. He headed into the dining room to eat with the others while she went to the bedroom.

Alana set her things down, taking off the jacket and hat. She didn't know when Rick and Daryl would be leaving or when they would be back. If she could just sleep until they returned she'd be content. Then she thought, what was stopping her from doing so? With the next patrol not until the evening, there was only so much for her to do. Not bothering to take her boots off she curled up on the bed, above the sheets. She could hear the others moving about and it quickly become a nuisance. With a huff she sat up and reached under the bed for the DVD player. She grabbed randomly at the pile of DVD's next to it, pulling out Speed Racer. She didn't care to truly watch it, she just wanted to something to listen to and stare at vaguely. Curling back up on the bed she started the movie, her back to the door.

Later when the door opened, she thought it was Daryl. He never knocked, it being his room as well. But when she rolled over she saw Shane. She sat up as he came to stand in front of her. He still had his jacket on and he pulled something out from behind him. A gun. Alana was more than confused.

Shane sighed. "That walker last night, Carl led it here." Alan's brow furrowed. "Said he took this from Daryl's bike and went off. Found the walker over by the creek. Guess the thing found its way out and followed him back here."

Alana kept herself from getting up and going to search for Carl. To beat him senseless. She could have died saving Dale. And not because the walked had just stumbled upon the farm, but because that boy had listened to no one and gone off on his own, and, when it came to it, didn't even have the ability to lift the stupid gun and shoot.

Shane held the gun out to her. "Here. Don't know if Daryl has noticed it missing."

Alana hesitated. "You can give it back. I think he's avoiding me like the plague."

"So…you're not alright then?" he asked her, moving to sit down next to her on the bed.

"Are any of us?"

Shane still held the gun in his hands, turning it over. He looked like he had his own demons he was thinking over how to get rid of. The noise from the movie caught his attention and he looked behind him to look at it. He shook his head.

"Strange movie."

"It has a monkey in it," Alana said.

They both smiled.

"You alright?" Alana asked.

"Nah, things haven't been right for a long time."

And then he stood up and left the room. Leaving Alana to sit and wonder what he meant. If it had anything to do with Lori. And Rick. She could tell that something had happened, but everyone seemed intent on keeping their mouths shut. Looking out the window Alana saw Shane walking over to his car. She couldn't see what he was doing, but she saw Lori leave the house and follow after him.

Alana laid back down and continued staring at the movie.

The next time the door opened it was Daryl.

He stole glances at her as he went about the room. He looked to see what she was watching.

"Going back out?" she asked him.

"Yeah."

He started to leave the room when she suddenly sat up.

"When you get back, can, can we talk?"

Daryl froze. "'Bout what?"

"Us."

"Yeah, sure."

He tried leaving the room, but she stopped him. He could feel her staring at his back.

"Just tell me now. Is there an us? You and me?"

She wasn't about to sit and wait the rest of the day to get a word out of him. She needed to know if she was wasting her time or not.

The plan was to tell her there wasn't. To just say it and then walk out. And it would have worked out if he hadn't turned around. He knew it was a mistake, yet still he did it. He turned and looked at her for just the shortest of moments before nodding his head and looking to the ground.

"I'll just, wait here till you get back then," Alana said, somewhat shocked.

Daryl left the room and rushed out the house.

Neither of their plans had gone as expected.

Alana was still sitting up on the bed when she heard the shouts from outside. She made her way through the house to outside. Stepping down from the porch she saw Shane walking out from the woods. His face looked bloodied. As she approached him and the others that had gathered she heard him say something about Randall escaping. She suddenly realized that Daryl was at her side. The others were talking back and forth, Rick and Shane were shouting. Everyone was being told to go back to the house and stay there. Rick and Shane were going off to find Randall. Alana heard Rick telling Glenn and Daryl to join the search as well.

And then Daryl was leading her back to the house. He took her back to their room and closed the door. He grabbed his crossbow from the closet and one of the handguns. He looked back to Alana. She was sitting on the bed. He grabbed her rifle and those stupid goggles and handed them over to Alana.

"Keep a eye one everyone, don't let them wander off," he told her.

She nodded her head. She stood up and shouldered her rifle. For a moment she pondered tying Carl to a bedpost to keep him from wandering off. Alana stepped past Daryl and made for the door. She stopped when she felt that he hadn't followed behind her. He was still standing at the closet. Alana turned and looked at him.

It was that same look she had seen on his face the previous night. Right before he kissed her. He walked over to her, his eyes back to the floor again. She could tell that he was thinking, overthinking, trying not to think. Maggie's advice came back to her again.

"Come on," she said quietly, opening the door just the slightest, freeing Daryl from making a choice.

He followed her down the hallway. Before coming out to the living room he reached out for her hand, pulling her back. He gave her the quickest of embraces, his chin resting for mere seconds atop of her mop of messy hair. He could feel her lean into him. He was too scared to kiss her again. Especially when someone could see them. He let go of her then and walked out from the hall into the living room. When he reached the door he turned to see that she had followed shortly behind him. But Dale blocked his view, handing him a walkie. Daryl turned it over to Glenn to hold onto. He looked back to Alana, she was speaking with Andrea.

He and Glenn went in the opposite direction of Rick and Shane. Daryl looked back at the sound of the door to see Alana and Andrea coming out, taking spots on the porch, rifles in hand.

He should have kissed her he thought.

**Gah! Original plan was to cover the last two episodes in this chapter, but since it's taken me forever to put a new chapter up I wanted to go ahead and stop here and post for you guys. Next chapter will cover the last episode of season 2 which I will start writing today…after I take a nap. Already have an outline ready for it so now it's just a matter of writing it down properly. Everything has been decided for what will happen, so either all you lovely readers are going to love or hate me, haha. **

**And just to let you all know, after the next chapter, we will be entering spoilers for the comics since I'll be following them for the most part for the rest of the story. And no, I do not know how long this story will continue. I can easily see it catching up the comics though, at which point I'll either have to start posting a new chapter once a month to go along with the new issues or do my own thing…or come up with some sort of ending. **

**Well, I can't really think of any question to ask you guys, but I will have a question ready to go once I get the next chapter done! **

**So thank you to everyone for reviewing, keep it coming! **

**And thanks to Ambray for all the awesome help! You'll likely read this before I get back to replying to your message, it's way past due time for a nap! But I'll reply soon as I wake up. **


	32. Chapter 32

Alana stared out towards the treeline, looking for any movement. The sun was still out, but it had begun to get colder. It would be nightfall soon. She had no clue how long Randall had been on the loose. Shane must have been knocked out in order for the young man to be able to get away. There was no telling how far he may have gotten. Alana had begun to believe that they would track him down soon enough, but when Daryl had reached for her night vision goggles, that belief began to fade. She realized that they wouldn't be coming back until Randall had been taken care of.

None of it made sense though. How could Randall have possibly gotten free? And overpowered Shane, of all people. She thought of the conversation they had had earlier…and seeing Lori going out to talk to him. She knew that Shane wanted to leave the group, had wanted to leave with her and Wilhelm. She questioned if he would have voluntarily freed Randall in exchange for him leading Shane to his group. He must have felt as if he had no place within their own group. She saw the distance he kept from Lori, how anytime they did speak it seemed tensed. She saw how Rick was more and more looking to others where he once always turned to Shane.

For the first time Alana didn't worry about Shane.

She worried for him.

Alana stepped down from the porch, telling Andrea that she was going to head round the house and circle the barn. Andrea only nodded and stepped down from the porch, walking over Alana's car. From there she could at least see over to the farm and the side of the house. She held onto the walkie.

There was nothing, no sign of Randall. Alana headed back to the house.

She and Andrea snapped their heads round anytime someone came out from the house. They always wanted the same thing. To know what was happening. The two women had nothing to tell them. No one had radioed in yet. It didn't take long for the whole charade to become irritating.

Waiting around, the time should have dragged on. But it didn't. It felt as if only an hour had passed and already the sun had gone down. The entire house had reached boiling point, no one able to stay still for very long. They were constantly looking out the windows or standing at the door.

Alana walked over to Andrea. She had given her the goggles, but so far she had seen nothing.

"We'll have to think of a plan in case they don't come back tonight," Alana told her.

Andrea looked slightly rattled by the thought, but she nodded her head. "Have anything in mind?"

Alana bit her lip. "We'll keep everyone inside. We can set up three lookouts. One here, another on the RV and a third at the barn."

Andrea agreed with the plan. "Do you think…he found his group?"

Alana shrugged. "For all we know he became some walker's dinner. Still, we need to be ready…probably be for the best if we…get ready to leave." She saw the solemnity in Andrea's eyes. "Keep an eye out, I'll go in and tell Dale to start packing up. We at least need the necessities easily at hand for us."

Heading into the house, everyone turned, waiting for Alana to say something. She only shook her head. She had told everyone to keep the lights turned off and so they were going about with lanterns and flashlights. She caught Dale's attention and led him down the hallway. They went into the room Hershel shared with Glenn and Jimmy. She spoke in a hushed voice.

"I need you to start packing. Just, gather supplies and have them ready to go. But don't let anyone see you."

"Is everything okay? Have Rick and them radioed?"

Alana shook her head. "But we need to be ready, in case Randall did get away and found his group. We just, we need to be ready." Dale nodded. "Start with my room. Just get everything back into the packs. They're in the closet. Then walk around, make sure the medical supplies are all in one spot, easy access."

"Alright."

Alana and Dale came back out in the living room. Outside Andrea was coming back the RV. She had grabbed her own handgun. And the pack of guns that Dale held onto. Alana nodded to her as she rejoined her on the porch.

They heard noise coming from the side of the house and both were instantly down from the porch, rifles lifted. Glenn halted for a moment at seeing the barrels point their way, but Daryl just kept walking.

"Did you find him?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah," Daryl answered.

"And?"

Daryl looked over at Alana with confliction. He didn't say anything to her, only headed back into the house. Once inside the others gathered in the living room. They too asked if they had found Randall.

"He turned," Glenn said.

Hershel spoke up. "Did you find the walker that got him?"

Daryl and Glenn exchanged unsure looks.

"His neck was snapped. Weren't no bite marks on him."

Alana could feel the fear and confusion in the room. It made her lightheaded.

…Did they…did they really not know?

Even in her talk with Andrea, when she had asked what could be causing all this, never once had Alana thought that Andrea didn't know. How could _all_ of them not know?

They were all infected.

She couldn't very well tell them now, could she? She had seen others, in other groups, just, kill themselves, at finding out that no matter how you died, everyone would come back. What was the point of trying to survive if the end would be the same?

Alana and the others were rattled by the sound of a single gunshot.

Though the others should have stayed inside, they didn't. They followed Alana and Andrea and the men out, looking over the farm. Trying to figure out where the shot had come from. Alana looked over to Andrea who had the goggles. She scanned the area, but only shook her head.

"I can't see anything," she said. She ran over to the RV and climbed on top of it.

Alana ran after her, rifle up and ready. Daryl and T-Dog were right behind her.

"Well?" Alana asked, her eyes scanning over everything.

Andrea didn't answer.

Alana looked up and saw her breathing heavily.

"What is it?" Daryl asked in less than a kindly manner.

Andrea couldn't put the goggles down.

"Walkers."

T-Dog asked, "How many?"

Andrea shook her head.

"Too many." She looked down at them. "They're coming right for us."

Alana clambered up the ladder, taking the goggles from Andrea. She faintly registered her mouth hanging open. She gulped. For a moment her legs felt weak and then she took a deep breath.

"Get the cars," she said, coming back down, Andrea behind her. "We have to get out of here."

The four of them began running back to the house.

"What's going on?" Lori was asking.

"Walkers," Andrea said. "We have to get outta here. Grab everything you can and get it in the cars."

But Hershel protested. This was his farm. He wasn't going to leave it. And just like that the others rallied behind him. Alana and Andrea were left on their own in wanting to leave.

She looked to Daryl, but Alana could see the conflict had never left his face. There was some part of him that wanted to leave with her, to abandon the farm. But another part, it was part of the group.

Glenn and Maggie were getting into Shane's car, T-Dog was heading over to the blue truck. With heavy shoulders Andrea followed after him. They'd try to take out as many walkers as possible in the vehicles. Alana's car was too small to be used. And Hershel's suburban was too old.

Daryl saw everyone going off, some to the cars and the others staying at the house. Bringing out guns. He glimpsed Dale carrying out one of Alana's packs and placing it in her car.

"Come on!" he shouted over to Alana who was just standing there, looking at everyone, like she was thinking things over, trying to make a plan. Trying to be Wilhelm.

She saw him going for his bike and Alana followed after him.

"Wait!" She called out, running back to the house. Daryl kept moving to his bike, bringing it to the front of the house. Alana came running back outside with the machete, strapping it to her waist. She slid onto the bike behind him and held onto the waist of his jeans as the bike took off down the dirt road.

It looked like the grass was moving. Like it had turned into the sea, one large wave advancing on them. The moon shone down on the fields, brightening every blade of grass, but as the wave came closer, the light was absorbed and everything became dark. Alana could see the small, pale glints of light amidst the darkness. Even in death, the eyes still found some way to shine.

Daryl kept them at the head of the herd, never staying in one spot for too long. As soon as the walkers noticed them, changing direction to come after them, he would move on, leading one small group after another away. And then he'd stop and the two of them would take out as many of the walkers as possible. He had no clue how long they carried this on. He heard someone honk their horn and saw T-Dog and Andrea coming up alongside them in the truck.

"There's too many!" T-Dog shouted to them.

The four of them looked around. He was right. Some had already made it past the RV. They could see someone firing shots from the porch. None of them wanted to admit it, but the farm was lost. They headed back to the farmhouse, taking out as many walkers as they could on the way there.

Lori came running up to them.

"Did you find them? Did you see Carl?" she cried out.

Shots were going off on every side of them. Maggie and Glenn were still out in Shane's car. Rick, Shane, and now Carl were missing. And the walkers were getting closer.

"We should head to the highway!" Andrea shouted to everyone.

What other plan was there? They needed to get out.

Daryl looked over his shoulder to Alana. She had wrapped an arm around his waist and he could feel her clinching the material of his jacket in her fist. And then she was gone, jumping off and running towards the group.

"Alright, we head to the highway." She turned to Dale. "Get everything you can in the car—"

Lori screamed.

All heads turn towards her. She was looking over at the barn. They could see two figures running inside. Followed by walkers. Rick and Carl.

Alana looked around, her eyes falling on the RV.

"Jimmy!" she yelled. She looked back to the group. "Get to the highway. Now!" Jimmy was already heading to the RV, knowing exactly what Alana had in mind. She made to run after him, but Daryl caught her arm, having gotten off his bike. He gave no heed to the others that could see them. "I'll be right behind you," she told him. She looked off towards the dirt road. "There," she said pointing towards where the road disappeared into the woods. There were still walkers coming, but it had thinned out. "Wait for me. Wait for me there. Alright?" Daryl nodded. His grip on her loosened. "Get them to the highway."

He watched her run after Jimmy, jumping into the RV as he drove it over towards the barn. Without a second glance back to the house Daryl got back onto his bike and headed off towards the road. He had to keep the way clear for everyone else. And he had to wait for Alana.

She looked back to the farmhouse to see him driving off and to see the others rushing to bring things out from the house and load them into the cars. Hershel was still standing firm out front of the porch, shooting any walkers that came near.

Alana cursed when she looked back to the barn and saw the light coming from within. They had set the barn on fire.

"There!" Jimmy said, pointing.

Alana looked up and saw Rick and Carl standing at the top level of the barn. "Get underneath it," she told Jimmy. They could hop right on top and then Jimmy could drive off. She heard the thuds as Rick and Carl jumped down on to the RV. She rushed to the bathroom, to open the latch.

Then those sounds came. The strangled sounds they make. Like their throats are closing up. Alana turned back only to see Jimmy falling to the floor, the walkers tumbling over each other to get to him. Alana stepped up onto the toilet and reached up for the latch, banging at it with the butt of her rifle. She fought to find a grip and pull herself up once it was open. Kicking frantically she tried to stay out of the grasps of the walkers that had found their way to her. She pulled herself up onto the roof of the RV, shouldering her rifle and making for the ladder.

She saw the headlights heading away from the farm. She ran after them, towards the dirt road.

There were cries and Alana looked to the fields, seeing Carol. She called out for her. Carol looked around frantically and, seeing Alana, began running towards her.

"Stay behind me! We have to get to the road!" Alana told her, not wasting a minute before she continued running. Carol stayed behind her. The click of an empty magazine echoed in Alana's ears, but she quickly flipped her grip on the rifle and began swinging the butt of it at the walkers that were in their path.

They were coming up to the ruins of the old house, of the crumbled fireplace. Alana ran past the corner, only to fall back into Carol, pushing her away. "Go! Round the other side!" Alana cried out to her as she swung at one of the walkers. She continued to fall back as the others gathered up on her. Taking a wrong step back, Alana's knee gave out and she fell to the ground. She swung the rifle side to side wildly, trying to buy herself enough time to get back up.

Carol had followed the fence. Daryl saw her and drove down the road from where he was. Carol was climbing over the fence when he yelled out at her. 

"Where's Alana?"

There was no one else left on the farm. Alana's car was still parked out front of the house. And the RV was burning with the barn. Everyone was gone.

Carol looked behind her, shaking her head. "I don't know," she said through her cries.

Daryl breathed heavily, looking over the farm.

Where was she? His eyes kept moving, looking over everything. She had to be somewhere. Did she get into one of the cars?

The walkers nearby were being drawn towards him, hearing the rumble of his bike. He had to go now or else they'd block the road. He was no use to Alana dead. "Get on!" he barked at Carol and she climbed on the bike with him.

Alana ran as fast as she could, half dragging her right leg behind her. She staggered onto the road, looking for Daryl.

All she saw was the dirt being kicked up from his bike.

Alana tried to catch her breath.

"Daryl! Daryl!" she screamed, running down the road.

But he was gone. She leaned against her rifle, looking around.

They were all gone.

He was gone.

The dead were all that were left on the farm. And her.

The clearest path was to her right.

And so Alana ran.

She would kill herself from exhaustion if she tried to take out every walker she passed. She did her best to draw as little attention as possible.

Alana made it to the woods and did what she could to put some distance between her and the walkers. But there were still more coming. She found herself circling the farm, coming up behind the house. She wanted to make for her car, but she was cut off. There were just too many. She was forced to head back into the woods.

She was losing strength and couldn't kill every walker that she passed. Using the machete, Alana lashed out at any and all that she passed. Anything to slow them down in their pursuit of her. Distance. She needed to put distance between her and the walkers.

Alana kept running.

WDWDWDWD

The sun had risen and Daryl and Carol reached the highway to see the group there waiting. But looking around as everyone got out from the vehicles, he saw that not all had made it. He didn't see Shane. Or Patricia. He didn't see Jimmy. Or Andrea.

And Alana.

He couldn't see her.

Questions began flying, people asking where the missing ones were. All Daryl could do was stand there and listen numbly. Beth cried how Patricia was pulled from her grasp. Lori said how she had seen Andrea fall, a walker on top of her. She hadn't gotten up. Rick shook his head when the others asked of Shane. He looked to Hershel, saying that Jimmy never made it out of the RV.

"And Alana," Daryl said, trying to keep his voice level, to keep it from breaking. "She was in the RV with him." He wouldn't cry. Not in front of them he told himself, he wouldn't cry.

Rick looked to the ground. "I never saw her."

"Did anyone see her?" Dale asked desperately, stepping forward. He was still standing over by the suburban.

Carol's voice spoke up from behind Daryl.

"She was behind me." Daryl spun on her.

"Why the fuck didn't ya say she was behind ya!"

Carol shrunk back and T-Dog came forward to hold Daryl back.

"She told me to keep running. I looked back and she was gone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Anything she said after that, Daryl didn't hear.

He had gone off and left her. He'd left Alana behind. His shoulders rigid, Daryl walked back to his bike.

"Daryl," Rick said, coming forward. "Daryl, where are you going?"

"Goin' back to get her," he said.

Rick gripped his arm, trying to stand in Daryl's view.

"She isn't there. If…if she's still alive, she isn't on the farm. We can't split the group up. She's too smart to have stayed on the farm."

"We can't stay here," Lori said to the group. They could all see the walkers, slowly finding their way through the maze of cars. And on the highway, with the deserted cars, there was so little space. They would be surrounded within seconds.

"We have to keep moving," Rick said.

He wanted to scream. He wanted to shoot every one last of them. He wanted to find Alana. But Rick was right. If Alana wasn't dead, she wasn't on the farm anymore.

"She said to meet here," he said, pointing to the ground. "We wait for her."

The group watched as Daryl started walking towards the walkers that were a ways off, putting bolts in their heads. No matter what the others thought was the best for the group, he wasn't going to leave that highway. If Alana was alive, she'd make it to them. She'd find him.

Rick wasn't about to leave Daryl behind. With so little ammo, so little protection, he'd need Daryl. He watched as Glenn followed after Daryl, taking out walkers alongside him. Rick looked down to his watch. It would be 8AM soon.

"We'll give it two hours," he told the others. "Then we have to leave."

In a heavy silence the others either went to wait in the cars or walk the edge of the highway. Daryl kept staring down the dirt road that led to the farm. Each time, he expected to see her coming down it. But he never did. None of the others tried to give him any words of hope. He thought it was because none wanted to go near him, seeing that he was just waiting for someone to say the wrong thing so he could chew their heads off. In truth, none of them held much hope that Alana was still alive. Jimmy, Patricia, and Andrea were gone. It was eventually gotten from Carol that she and Alana had been running through the fields, to the road. Alana had told her to run. She told them Alana told her to run. And when she looked back, Alana wasn't there.

In one night they had lost three people. With such loss, how could they find hope that Alana wasn't the fourth?

When the two hours had been reached, no one wanted to be the one to go and tell Daryl. He hadn't stopped walking up and down the highway, wandering into the woods, staring down the dirt road.

It was Dale who eventually went to speak with him.

"Daryl," he called out to him, cautiously. He was staring down the road. He did not look to Dale when he came to stand at his side. "Daryl, we…we have to get going."

Dale had prepared for Daryl to yell at him, to possibly even swing out at him. He had braced himself for it.

But Daryl walked over to his bike and started it. He just sat there, waiting for the others.

The others got into the vehicles. Rick, Lori, and Carl were in the suburban. T-Dog, Dale, and Carol were in the truck. Hershel, Maggie, Beth, and Glenn were in the last car. Daryl followed behind them all. He slowed down, just before a bend in the road, and looked back.

He still couldn't see her.

WDWDWDWD

She could barely register that the sun had risen. And she could barely feel her legs.

Alana stopped, leaning against a tree. She looked around, not knowing where she was. She looked down at her watch, at the compass set within it. But what did it matter? Even if she knew what direction she was going in, she couldn't even count how many times she had been turned around in the woods.

She needed to get to the highway. If she could find her way back to the farm, she could reach the highway.

Alana turned around.

Which way did she come? She had….turned…and leaned against the tree. No, she hadn't turned…had she?

Through her frustration, Alana could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks. The ground became blurry to her eyes and she rubbed harshly at them. In every direction she could hear them, getting closer to her. Keep moving. She had to keep moving. Alana looked down to her knee. She could see the blood being absorbed by her jeans at her knee. Every step, she was sure that it would be her last and she'd come crumbling to the ground, unable to get up. But she had to keep moving. She pulled out her handgun, looking at the clip. Four bullets.

She had three bullets.

There was no silencer on the gun. She'd have to choose carefully when and if to fire it.

She began to stagger, turning, trying to figure out which way she had come. Alana fell to the ground, landing on her knee. She gripped it, turning over onto her back. What did it matter, there was no one to see her, and so she openly cried. All she had was a rifle with no bullets, a handgun with three, and a machete. She had no supplies, no food, no water, no clue as to how far she was from the farm, from the highway. She thought herself stupid when she began looking for Wilhelm. Straining, waiting to hear his voice. Telling her what their next plan was. And then she waited to hear Daryl's voice. To see him lean over her and tell her to get the hell up.

But nothing happened. No one showed up. No one was there.

Alana sat up. She grabbed her rifle and used it to pull herself up. She stuffed the handgun in the back of her jeans and used the rifle as a cane, moving as steadily as she could. She stared at the ground, trying to find her own tracks, to trace her way back to the farm. But it was pointless; one day of hunting with Daryl was of little help to her.

But she had to keep moving.

So she did.

WDWDWDWD

Andrea hadn't stopped moving. She rarely looked behind her now. No matter how far she ran, she could still hear them behind her, coming after her. Even when she picked up the pace, it only sounded as if they were getting closer. Like she was running right into them.

She had killed the walker, the one that had fell onto her by the house. She had gotten up, having no sense how long she had been out, only to see Rick and Hershel and Carl, driving off. She had run after them, but they didn't hear her. She didn't even see them look back.

She had picked up the pack of guns and started running.

It was morning now and she hadn't stopped running.

Her legs were giving out. She could feel it, as the feeling in her legs became less and less with each step. A number of walkers had gathered up behind her, following her. She turned around, firing off her remaining shots. The click of an empty barrel and she threw the gun. It was of no use to her. The walkers were gaining ground on her. She was losing speed, unable to weave her way past those that were coming at her from ahead. She tripped, falling and losing the contents of the bag as she rolled over it. The walker was atop of her within seconds. Andrea kicked with all the strength she had left, trying to keep it at bay. She took a breath, waiting for what was to come.

But Andrea heard a strained grunt and suddenly someone was pulling her up, pulling her away. Her eyes trailed up from the hand that clung to her.

"Run," Alana told her.

And they ran.

It was hours later when the two finally stopped, when they could barely keep themselves upright. They felt sick to their stomachs. Past exhaustion. Alana looked around. Listened. She could see nothing. Hear nothing. She knew they were still out there though. But being able to stop, to properly breathe, it was more than a relief.

"Do you know where we are?" Andrea asked, after taking heavy breaths.

"No," Alana said, shaking her head. "I tried finding my way back to the farm, to the highway…but, I couldn't. I got turned around. I think I ended up at the back of the farm, in the woods. I don't know."

"And the others? Did you see them?"

"They got away." Flashes of the RV ran through her head. "Not Jimmy. Jimmy, didn't make it. I don't know about everyone else. Daryl made it. And Carol. That's all I know. I saw them."

Andrea began to laugh; it turned into a hoarse cough. Alana looked to her.

"_She_ made it?" Andrea asked bitterly. Alana nodded. Andrea laughed again. And coughed again. "She's the reason I was left behind. I…I ran off to _help_ her. I didn't see the walker, came up behind me. And all she did was scream and run off." She wiped at her face, at her eyes and shook her head.

Alana didn't want to think about any of it. She couldn't. In the current state of mind she was in, she couldn't think of those things.

"We should find our way to the highway. That's where we're supposed to meet. We have to keep moving."

Andrea looked over at her, her face steeled. She nodded.

WDWDWDWD

They hadn't found their way out of the woods yet and it was already dark. Neither had flashlights. Of course, they had to keep moving though. Alana kept telling her that. They had to find the highway. It would be safer to stay on the highway during the night than in the woods.

"Alana," Andrea said to her, lagging behind. "I can't. Please, let's just stop." She leaned against a tree.

Alana looked back at her.

Alana looked ahead, they had been walking for so long, they had to be close to the highway. They had to be. She walked over and slung one of Andrea's arms over her shoulders.

An hour later and they were still nowhere. Their lack of speed did nothing to help them.

That was it. They couldn't go on any further. Alana stopped and looked around. The trees had begun to thin out, but they had done that countless times before, didn't mean they were anywhere closer to the highway.

"Come on," Alana told Andrea, "we have to climb. We can't stay down here. This one looks good." She helped Andrea climb up a tree that looked like it could hold both of them. "There, that branch."

It wasn't comfortable, but trees never were. There was no room for Alana, so she had to climb higher. She planted a foot on a branch and it snapped. She clung to the branch above her, tensing as the fallen one fell to the ground. They both waited, waited to hear movement out beyond them, coming closer, but there was nothing. Alana pulled herself up and rested between two thick branches that jutted upwards.

She looked down at her watch.

"I'll take the first watch," she told Andrea. After a moment, she added, "If you fall, try not to break anything." Andrea responded with a cold laugh.

WDWDWDWD

They had stopped when Shane's car had run out of gas. There were some ruins of some sort of stone building off the side of the road. The group had set up there for the time being. They had all stopped speaking by that time. Rick had told the group how he killed Shane. How Shane had attacked him. And how Shane had come back. Lori wasn't even looking at Rick now, not even breathing the same air as him. The entire group was keeping their distance from Rick.

He had told them, how they were all infected. Even told them that he had known since the CDC. He said he didn't tell anyone because he didn't trust Jenner, if he was telling the truth. But none of that mattered to the rest of the group. It felt as if everything had been a waste. What was the point of anything now, now that they knew the truth?

Daryl sat at the fire, staring at the flames. All he could think of was Alana. He'd failed Wilhelm. And he'd failed her. Even if she was still with the group, what was the point now?

Carol came and sat down next to him. She looked over at Rick. He heard her saying something. She was saying something about Rick shouldn't be leading the group. How he wasn't a good leader. Daryl scoffed when she said that he should lead the group himself.

He was irritated, learning that Alana had been with her, that she was right there. _Right there._ And he left her behind. Had she seen him? What if she had called out to him, ran after him? God, what had she thought, if she had reached the road, only to see him leaving her behind?

"What the hell do ya want?" Daryl snapped at Carol, not even bothering to look at her.

Carol shrunk into herself. "A man of honor."

Daryl looked over to Rick. Much as he hated the man right now, for moving the group from the highway, he wasn't about to stab the man in the back.

"Rick has honor," he muttered.

All their heads snapped up at a noise. T-Dog, up on the wall of the broken building, looks out to the highway, but shakes his head. He sees nothing. Rick shuts down the suggestion of going out to see what the noise was.

"No one's going anywhere," he told them.

"You want us to just sit here, and wait, for whatever's out there to get here?" Carol asked, having stood up and walked over to where he stood.

Rick shook his head, hissing at the group. "I kill my best friend for you people!" He huffed. "Maybe you're all better off without me. So we lost the farm. I say there's another place out there for us," he said, pointing off behind him. Then his shoulders slacked. "What do I know, maybe it's all just another pipe dream." He moved to walk away, but turned back around. "If you want to leave, fine, leave. But if you're staying, this isn't a democracy anymore."

Daryl was separated from everything Rick had said. He was no longer staring into the fire. He was looking to the highway. Waiting for Alana to appear. He knew it was pointless. Whatever that noise was, it wasn't her. He bitterly reminded himself of her wounds. A scarred shoulder, a bum leg. And she was so tiny…her hands had been so tiny compared to his. She had always had Wilhelm. And then she had him. Now she had neither. How could she survive out there? Every single odd was against her.

Daryl stood up, shouldering his crossbow, and walked out to the highway. He looked back, to make sure no one had followed him. He stared down the highway, the way they had come. He looked along the treeline.

But Alana never came.

He should have kissed her, when he let her go and she ran after Jimmy. He should have kissed her then, properly.

Just one last kiss.

**And we're done with Season 2! **

**Let us take a moment to pause and remember Shane, Jimmy, and Patricia…..ok that's done! **

**The next chapter will begin the following the comics, so for those of you who haven't read the comics, Chapter 33 and onwards will all contain spoilers for the comics. I don't have all the single issues, so I won't know for sure which exact comics are being used for each chapter, but I do have the Volumes as well, and I can at least tell you all right now that the next two or three chapters will follow Volume 3, "Safety Behind Bars." **

**And so clearly I have separated Daryl and Alana, because I'm evil, haha. But now you must all tell me, especially those who have read the comics, when should I reunite them? I have an idea of when I'd like to do it, but that's still up in the air. So tell me, tell me!**

**And I have another question for you all! **

**We are going to reach the prison in the next chapter, and a lot of stuff goes on there, so I was wondering how to split up storylines in the next couple of chapters. Would you guys prefer to follow Alana and Andrea more than read about what is happening at the prison? I figured that I don't want to ignore the prison completely, since Daryl will be there and I want to be able to explore what's going on his head, how he's coping, but at the same time, I don't want to drag the story down with details of what's happening with everyone at the prison. I thought perhaps I could write about the events at the prison through Daryl's perspective. What are your thoughts on that? **

**Working on some outlines for the next few chapters, so once those are done I'll start writing and will hopefully have another chapter posted in the next two days. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Newflash: I own nothing, except one sock. The other one went to Narnia. **

Both had been awake for some time, but neither Alana nor Andrea wanted to move. Alana had become used to sleeping in an actual bed that she had actually forgotten what it was like to try and sleep in a tree. And Andrea had never slept in a tree. There was no such thing as a comfortable position up in a tree; the goal was to find the position that left as few indentations in your back. It wasn't something easily achieved.

When the two decided that it was finally time to get down from the trees, they spent the next hour in the tree, looking. In the night two walkers had passed nearby, but they took no notice of the women. Must have been that they couldn't smell them. Alana had held onto her rifle, ready to swing it if the walkers had come after them, trying to climb up the trees somehow. Andrea had told her the day before that the pack of weapons she was carrying was useless. There was no ammo left. The pack was tossed against the trunk of the tree. In the night, Andrea had thought of climbing down, emptying the pack, and rolling it up to make a pillow of sorts, but the thought of having to move was enough to make her cringe at the idea of the pain the tree would inflict on her back.

Andrea looked to Alana, waiting for her to say it was okay to climb down. The bark of the tree bit into her neck as she craned it upwards to see Alana. She was leaning as much as possible side to side, trying to see the area around them. She saw nothing moving, heard nothing moving. There was only the breeze making its way through the leaves and the birds making their noise. Alana began to find her footing, making her way down to Andrea. When she reached her, Andrea then began her descent as well. The climb down seemed to take longer than the climb up had the night before. Now that their bodies had had the chance to relax, to rest from their constant move from the day before, the soreness had properly set in. It felt as if every joint had locked up, every muscle was stiff, stretched too thin. The _thud_ as they allowed themselves to fall the last couple of feet to the ground reverberated through their bodies, both having to steady themselves.

Alana had made a point to rest in the tree facing the direction that they had been heading the night before. They'd continue on that way.

Neither said anything, only shared the simple nod of a head. There wasn't much to say at that point. Both were feeling left behind. Even betrayed. Yes, they thought it silly, feeling betrayed, but that's what they felt. The moment the decision was made to leave the farm, it was as if the idea of _group_ was lost and it was everyone for themselves. And it was Alana and Andrea that had drawn the short end of that stick.

Nothing to be done about it now though. Feelings meant little now. Survival was key.

It was 9AM when they continued their trek through the woods. When the trees began to become sparse, spread out, neither really bothered to take notice. Woods had done the same thing yesterday, more times than they cared to count. Each time there was just more woods on the other side, waiting for them.

Both were at a loss when the sight of grey asphalt appeared before them. They stood for a moment at the edge of the woods, still, staring over to the other side. Both waiting for movement, for a sound. Neither ever came. Out from under the treetops, the sun was finally able to reach them fully and supply them with warmth. They walked out to the center of the road. It was deserted. Both ways the road curved left and right.

"Any of this look familiar?" Alana asked Andrea, staring to her right.

Andrea shook her head. "I don't remember passing any of this. You?"

"I can't remember," Alana said. In truth Wilhelm and she had never come from this way, if this was past Hershel's farm. They've been ahead of the group when the group caught up with them. It had been Wilhelm's plan she reminded herself. But she wasn't going to tell Andrea that. She didn't exactly care to suddenly be left on her own because of something that hadn't been her plan in the first place. If she never had to tell Andrea the truth that was fine by her. It was preferred. "It's up to you," she told her.

Andrea turned in place, looking up and down the road. Up and down, neither were sure which was which. Was up to their right or left?

"Let's head this way," Andrea said, facing to the left. "Barn caught fire, yeah? Maybe we can find a spot where we can see it."

"Sounds good," Alana said as she began walking down the road.

They stuck to the edge of the road, keeping their footfalls as quiet as possible. Andrea held onto the sole rifle from the pack she carried. There were no bullets, but the butt of the rifle was damn heavy. Alana carried hers as well. The machete stayed in its sheath at her waist. Every time they came to a curve in the road the two of them would slow down, taking cautious steps, trying to stretch their bodies round the corners. The road was always empty ahead of them, no cars, no walkers, no group members waiting for them. They looked up to the sky, above the treetops, waiting to see that mountain of smoke rising from the burnt skeleton of the barn. It couldn't be possible that the smoke had died away, it just couldn't. Yet that's what it seemed had happened. But the women didn't stop walking, neither suggested turning around and heading the other way. There was no point in turning around and mark the time that they had already spent walking up as a waste. They were heading this way and that was that.

It must have been well over two hours when they came across their first car. As they approached the small car a person could be seen in it. The way their head hung told Alana they were dead. All four doors were shut, the driver's side window rolled down. The women stopped in front of it, watching. Alana stepped forward, nudging the body with her gun. It slumped over. _Dead _dead. Andrea looked around in the front seats for keys. They had been left in the ignition.

"Worth a shot," she said as she opened the door, reaching over the slumped body to turn the key. The engine sputtered to life, then died.

With the prospect of a car out of the equation, Alana and Andrea began searching through the backseat and trunk. All they found was a pack of gum and half a bottle of flat soda. They shared the soda and took a piece of gum each. At least the gum would fool their stomachs for a while.

It was sometime after 1PM when Alana stopped walking, easing herself down onto the road Her knee had been getting worse the longer they walked. The blood stain hadn't grown any larger, but Alana could feel stickiness. She took the brace off. There was no way she'd be able to roll the pant leg up high enough and so she dropped her pants right there, not caring. Andrea cringed when Alana pulled the bandage away. It was soaked in sweat and blood. Her knee itself looked it had been sitting in water, the skin all wrinkled. There was a layer of dried blood covering it. She should have had Hershel take a look at it after all, though she was sure any work he might have done would've been reversed after all the running she'd done. And the falling. Plenty of falling. She tossed the bandage away, putting it back on would only lead to infection. She was sure she was already getting one, but putting that bandage back on would only hurry the process. Alana pulled her jeans back up and replaced the knee brace. There was a scab trying to form over the bit where she had torn the stitches; hopefully the brace would keep her from tearing it up.

Andrea helped her back up and they continued on their way.

"What do we do if they're not at the highway?" Andrea asked her after a while.

"We drained the fuel from all those cars, so taking one isn't an option. Suppose we can head into the town, grab a car from there. Then we can head back to the farm, see if anyone went back."

"And if they didn't?"

"They left my car, I saw it. That's where all my supplies are. I say we go get them."

Andrea liked the plan. Just didn't like all the walking it would entail.

WDWDWDWD

He had formed a sort of rut with his feet where he had been standing, staring down the road, waiting for Alana to come into sight. All through the night he had come back to that spot and every time he left without seeing anything. He stood in that spot again in the morning, when Rick and Glenn said they were heading up ahead to look for a town or a car, for fuel. The green Hyundai was out of fuel. Mostly everyone else sat waiting in the cars. Himself, Hershel, and T-Dog stood out on the road, keeping an eye out. It felt almost cruel, that they hadn't had to deal with any walkers during the night.

Dale walked up to him, looking out over the same spot of road as him.

"We should leave something here." Daryl didn't follow him. "To let them know which way to go…Alana and Andrea."

"They're dead," Daryl said bitterly, even disgusted that the old man could actually fool himself into hoping.

He was deflated at how quickly Daryl gave up on Alana, as if she could never survive on her own. "No one saw Andrea get attacked, only that she fell down, no one heard her scream. And Alana, none us saw what happened. What if she got away? What if they both got away?"

Daryl huffed and walked away. He didn't want to hear any of that. Didn't need to be getting any sort of hope planted in him. He knew it was pointless. Alana was dead. Gone. And the fool he had made of himself. It was all for nothing. He should have never accepted food from her on that first day they met her and Wilhelm. Should have just turned his back on her.

He shouldered his crossbow and walked over to his bike, opening up the side satchel and pulling out the pack of cigarettes he had found that day on the highway. He knew no one would dare come up and ask if they could have one from him. He stuffed the lighter in his pocket and froze. At the bottom he could feel something small and cold grazing his fingers. He didn't take it out, he could picture the ring perfectly. When he had taken it from that house he didn't understand why he had done it. He wanted to take it out and throw it, but then everyone would see him. And then they'd all just feel bad for him, pity him, thinking how sad that poor Daryl had lost the closet thing to a girlfriend. Or even a friend. That made it even worse, thinking that.

Daryl looked the road at the sound of hurried steps. It sounded like someone was running. Two someone's. Rick and Glenn came into sight.

"What? What is it?" Maggie asked. Beth was at her side, having rarely left it since that night before.

The two men rejoined the group, stopping and catching their breaths. Glenn spoke first, never having been able to keep his mouth shut when there was something to be said.

"There's a prison up ahead!" he said excitedly. He was clenching onto the binoculars Dale had found in one of Alana's packs that he had been able to grab and take to the suburban.

The others looked confused; was that a good or bad thing, that there was a prison up ahead? Just the thought of a prison, it didn't bring up positive views.

"There's three fences around it," Rick began to tell them. "They're all open, but doesn't look like there's too many walkers inside on the grounds." The group still didn't look convinced.

"Didn't any of you see the news?" Glenn asked. "The prisons, they were just letting everyone out, that place could be empty!"

"Or," Lori said, "it could be filled with walkers." It was evident that she wasn't happy with the plan that Rick and Glenn were suggesting; going to the prison.

"We don't have much of a choice," Hershel said. "And I know what prison you're talking about. And they did open all the cells, let everyone out. Didn't have much of a choice, once the power went out they wouldn't have been able to keep them in there for long anyways. So, is that where we're heading?"

Rick didn't bother to look at everyone, only said that yes, that was where they were going. They hadn't found any other cars with fuel in them and so the Hyundai would have to be left behind. But perhaps once they got to the prison there'd be other cars there and they could take some fuel back here.

Solemnly, not wanting to convey any hope, the group loaded up into the truck and suburban. Daryl rode at the back on his bike. As he began to roll off he picked the ring from his pocket and let it fall to the harsh grey asphalt.

WDWDWDWD

Save from the cars, the highway was empty.

Alana and Andrea stood at the head of the graveyard of cars, staring down the road. They could see a handful of walkers that had been taken down by someone. Though it sounded weird, the walkers looked _fresh_, like they had recently been killed.

They passed by the familiar cars, past the spot where Sophia had run off into the woods, past the spot where Alana and Wilhelm had been hiding. The smoke from the barn had been in sight for some time, the smoke writhing up into the sky like serpents. Alana and Andrea looked through the cars, though they knew they had been picked clean by the group earlier. All that was left over was a selection of clothing. The car that the food had been left on for Sophia was there, the small collection of food on the hood calling out to Alana and Andrea. They both dragged themselves over towards it. Two energy bars and a bottle of water was all that was left. They drank only half of the water, Andrea insisting that Alana pour the rest over her knee. It needed to be cleaned and the water was the only option she had.

They should head to the farm, but both knew it was a bad idea. With no car, it was a bad idea. They needed to head to the town and grab a car from there. When the men had gone and cleaned out the town, they hadn't come back with fuel. And the truck belonging to the two men that had first fired at Rick and the others was still there. They could drive it back to the farm, run over any walkers in the way, grab what they could from the house, and then leave.

More and more Alana was using her rifle to balance herself as she walked. Not only was her knee hurting, but she could feel a fever beginning. Infection. Mixed with the cold weather, Alana was questioning how much longer she'd last. If they could get back to Hershel's farm and find the bottle of antibiotics Daryl had given her, which she had left in the bedroom on the dresser, then she should be okay. She'd still have to deal with the pain, but at least she wouldn't have to be worry about an infection. If she was lucky, the pack of medical supplies would still be in her car.

She knew that Andrea was still upset, still bitter, but she had improved as the day went on. It was becoming clearer that they'd have to fend for themselves. Be their own group. That didn't allow time for holding grudges. Though Alana didn't doubt that if they ever saw them again, Andrea would waste no time letting it be known just how she felt.

"You doing all right?" Andrea asked her then as they passed the road that led down to Hershel's farm. Alana's suspicions has been right; no walkers. The ones that the group had killed on the highway must have been stragglers. Alana saw no reason for the others to stay put on the farm; they came down on them like a wave and waves never stayed in one place. Likely that all the cattle and horses on the farm were either dead or had gotten free somehow, running off, to be followed by the wave.

Alana began to keep her leg stiff, not allowing herself to bend it. "Peachy."

They came across one walker at the entrance to the town. Andrea walked on ahead to take care of it, tripping it with her rifle before bashing its head in. Alana hobbled over to her, inspecting her handiwork.

"Was that a man or woman?" she asked, tilting her head.

"It's dead," Andrea replied. Alana couldn't argue with that.

Andrea suggested going to the bar first; the men couldn't have possibly gotten all of the liquor out of that place. They needed some for Alana's knee. The windows were shot out and the door creaked as Andrea entered first. Alana held onto her shoulder for support as she came in behind her. They both paused, waiting to hear that telltale sound that signaled a walker was in there. Nothing. While Alana had seen it happen before, she was glad that not all walkers knew how to open doors. Those who did, they didn't really know how to do it, they just so happened to put their hand on the knob and somehow turned it. And she had to admit, those she had seen open doors, looked just as amazed by the action as she had.

Alana sat down at one of the tables, stretching her leg out. Andrea walked to the other side of the bar, searching for anything that the men may have left behind. She crouched and looked through the cabinets. There was nothing. She stood back up, shaking her head. Alana looked around. There had to be something. A dry bar was a horrible joke. Andrea peeked into the sink and saw a couple of glasses, two of which had something in them. She picked them both up, sniffing at them. Smelt like alcohol. She knew the men couldn't have possibly just loaded everything up without having themselves a drink or two.

Andrea carried the two glasses over to Alana. "This'll have to do," she told her. Together there was less than 1/8 a cup, but it would have to do for now. Alana undid the brace.

"Just pour it," she told Andrea. She saw no point in pouring it just on the skin only to put those dirty jeans back on over it. Might as well dump it on the jeans too.

Andrea had expected Alana to hiss or at least squirm in her seat when the alcohol reached the wound, but she didn't, and that worried her. She could see how tired Alana was, so much so that she was beginning to not notice the pain.

"We should head for the farm," Andrea suggested, but Alana only shook her head, leaning back into the chair.

"Let's just rest…going to be dark soon. Let's just rest."

Andrea couldn't argue with her. She looked out the windows of the bar. They couldn't stay there. She walked over to the door.

"I'm gonna go check that truck," she told Alana, who nodded her head.

She returned with a canister of peanuts, half of it eaten already.

"Come on," she told Alana, helping her to stand, "we can hide upstairs in the next building.

She helped Alana maneuver the stairs inside the small grocery store. Looked like it had been used as sleeping quarters. There was no backdoor and so that gave Alana and Andrea comfort. It was one large room, a bed in the corner, a small desk, a dresser, and an old tv. Restroom was downstairs at the back of the store. Andrea checked it, but it looked like the men had found it.

Andrea spent the rest of the day downstairs, behind the counter, watching out the windows. She had helped Alana onto the bed. She knew there was no way that her wound could become infected so quickly so as to kill her, but she still found herself staring off back towards the stairs, anticipating to see Alana making her way down, hungry.

When night fell, Andrea headed upstairs. Halfway up she heard a small clatter and her grip on the rifle tightened. She opened the door to the room to see Alana on the floor, hanging onto the dresser. She had opened all the drawers and in her right hand was a small flask. She made a face as she took a quick swig.

"Why would you drink this?" she asked the flask.

Andrea had to hide her small laughter. Though her words and actions were funny, Andrea knew it was the infection that was directing Alana. She remembered how T-Dog had been after cutting his arm. And he had only gone a few hours before the infection became serious. They needed to find those antibiotics Alana had told her about. She wanted to go now, to the farm, even though Alana said they needed to wait till tomorrow. Only thing that kept her from leaving was the thought that she'd be leaving Alana behind.

She wouldn't leave her behind.

WDWDWDWD

They had to leave the highway in order to reach the prison. After a couple of backroads that turned this and that way they came to a huge clearing and at the center was the prison. There was a parking lot outside of the perimeter of the fences that was less than half full. Within the fences there was a large area of open grass that looked like it was meant to be a baseball field. There were also two basketball courts. The prison was made up of four standalone buildings and there were six guard towers. All the doors to the prison looked to be closed except for a side entrance near the basketball court. It looked that there were somewhere around fifty walkers within the main section with a handful trapped wandering between the other two sections.

"Alright," Rick said, turning round to look at everyone after getting a closer look at the prison. "We'll take the truck down there, close the gates and take care of the walkers in the main area. It's pretty big, so we should be able to take them all out as long as they come at us in waves."

The _we_ he spoke of consisted of himself, Glenn, T-Dog, and Daryl. Maggie and Dale would stay at the entrance with the truck and if needed would come in to make for a quick escape. Hershel would stay with the women and Carl, waiting in the suburban. They wouldn't be able to use any guns. Plus ammo was low. And…they now fully understood the repercussions for firing of their guns.

The men headed over to the suburban, opening the pack of weapons. It was Alana's. They all silently thanked Alana, and Wilhelm, for having the sense to have such a pack, but not Daryl. He pushed her from his mind. He'd have no reminder of her. He'd not allow it. The men picked their weapons, all taking more than just one, and loaded into the truck along with Maggie and Dale.

The group had to be fast; soon as they approached the walkers became alert, beginning to head their way. There were a few on the outside and so those were taken care of first, then the group began closing the gates. They were heavier than the men were expecting; it was only with four of them together that they could get the gates closed in a fairly quick manner. Dale sat at the wheel of the truck while Maggie stood up in the bed, looking over the area.

"Remember," Rick told them as they slowly began to make their way towards the walkers. "We're faster than them, just don't let yourself get surrounded. Stick together."

It was like in the movies, when the bad guys outnumber the single good guy, and yet the bad guys practically line up and one by one go up the good guy. A large number of the walkers had come round to the basketball courts, where the men were, and soon they all lay on the ground. The men circled the area, taking out the stragglers. They came full circle, back to the basketball court.

"That's all of them," Glenn said, out of breath.

"Seemed like there were more of them," T-Dog commented, turning in spot to look at all the walkers that littered the ground.

Daryl turned his ear to the doors that stood open to the prison. It was dark inside, but he didn't need his eyes to know what was in there. He could hear it. He grabbed his crossbow from his back and took aim in the dark. The space between the doors was soon filled with walkers, all stumbling to get through the doors at the same time.

Rick turned quickly to Glenn. "Get the truck! Bring it back here, we gotta run them over."

Glenn took off sprinting towards the gates, waving his arms in the air and screaming at Dale and Maggie. He could see the two of them trying to open the gates to get in.

"Don't panic!" Rick was telling Daryl and T-Dog. "If we have to we can run. Just take out as many as you can!"

"Yeah, well, can we run yet?" T-Dog shouted as the three men began to lose ground.

For a moment the walkers were distracted as the truck approached and the men dodged out of the way as Dale circled round, clipping as many walkers as possible. Glenn jumped out from the back of the truck and joined the others in finishing off the walkers that Dale hit.

It must have taken at least an hour, but finally it appeared that all the walkers had been taken care of. Dale pulled the truck over and he and Maggie came to join the men, looking around.

"What do we do now?" Dale asked. He was conscious of where he stepped, though it seemed there was no save spot to step.

"We can't burn them," Rick said. "We'll just to load them in the truck and take them off somewhere to dump."

"Well what the hell ya waiting for?" Daryl said as he slung the crossbow onto his back and grabbing the nearest walker to the truck and lifting it into the bed. The others hesitated to join in, watching him. If anyone wanted to say something to him, they kept it to themselves.

Rick didn't want to drive off too far to dump the walkers, especially with no idea if the cars in the parking lot had any fuel. The land around the prison looked to be farmland.

There was one field that was close to a small hill; it was the furthest away from the prison, but still within sight. It looked to be their best choice. For now they just needed somewhere to dump the bodies. They could come back later and figure out something else to do with them.

The suburban was brought down to the prison. When it arrived Glenn and T-Dog were walking the first and second sections of the fences, taking care of the walkers that had wandered in and gotten stuck.

Rick and the others had looked into the prison, through the doors that that the walkers had come out from, contemplating whether they wanted to head in or not. They decided against it. The area outside needed to be cleaned up. They piled as many walkers as possible into the bed of the truck and drove off to the bit of land Rick pointed out. It was more work than actually killing the blasted things.

It was close to nightfall when the work was done. None of the others had come past the gates, choosing to stay by the suburban. It was agreed that the truck would be left on the inside while the suburban would be parked between the three gates; if something occurred and the group needed to get out quickly, they wouldn't have to worry about getting the gates open and they also had the option of jumping into the vehicles and driving off. An eye was kept on the doors the entire night; with the number of walkers that had come out from them the group was fairly hopeful that the near majority of walkers inside the prison had already been taken care of.

A very small fire was lit and the group sat around it, huddled within their jackets. Hershel had a wool blanket in the back of the suburban; Beth was wrapped up in it. Daryl was seated a bit away from the group though he still listened to what they were saying. Rick was talking about hope. How he hoped that no one had had a chance to loot the prison; he went on about how the place was likely stockpiled with food. Carl was starving, but Rick said they couldn't go in just yet.

"Tomorrow we'll take a look inside, clean the place out," Rick told them all.

The group stayed around the fire until it finally died out and then gathered into the suburban and truck for the rest of the night. Lori, Carl, Maggie, Beth, and Carol got as comfortable as they could in the suburban while Glenn and T-Dog sat inside the truck. Rick and Hershel were discussing the watch for the night. They'd need someone watching the road, but also someone watching those doors to the prison.

"I'll keep an eye on the road," Hershel told Rick.

"Right," he replied. He looked over towards the prison doors, intent on watching them, but halted when he saw Daryl sitting on the opened tailgate of the truck, crossbow at his side, facing the doors.

No one bothered him for the entire night.

**Alright so this was Day 1! I have, so far, 4 days planned out. Original plan was for each chapter to cover 2 days, but as you can see this chapter is only Day 1. I ended up writing more than I had originally planned and decided Day 1 could stand alone as its own chapter. Plus it allowed me to post the chapter early. **

**For those who have read the comics, you know what's coming next for the group as far as Day 2 goes, but you have no clue what's going to happen to Alana and Andrea so ha! I win! **

**Gonna start work on the next chapter today, not too sure what all will be in it yet though, going to just wing it as I go along. If you've read the comics, you know what's coming up very soon. Not too sure how the timeline goes for the comics, so I'm just making up my own. **

**But here is a question for those who have read the comics, you all know what happens in that barber shop, right? Right, so, how long after arriving at the prison do you think that stuff happened? With the way I separated everything, that stuff comes out as being on Day 3 at the prison. But I wanted to get your ideas on it; taking everything that's happened prior to this event, is 3 days later too soon for your liking?**

**So leave your reviews! They're like cookies, the more I get the more hyper I get and thus the faster I write ;) **


	34. Chapter 34

**Spoilers: This chapter contains characters, locations, and events from the comic series, starting with Issue #13 thru #18 (also known as Volume 3 in the TPB format). **

Andrea had fallen asleep in the corner of the room. She'd awaken every couple of hours because of the lack of comfort; it was intentional. She had to keep an eye on Alana. The room was cluttered enough that if Alana had gotten up Andrea would have been woken instantly. She stood up slowly, not wanting to disturb her. She could see the steady rise and fall from under the blankets as Alana breathed. Grabbing the canister of peanuts she ate some while taking a look outside the window onto the street. She didn't know what time it was or how long the sun had been up.

During the times in the night when she would wake up Andrea would see Alana, laying in the bed, shaking slightly. Panicking at first, Andrea had rushed over to her. Alana had murmured that she was cold, but feeling her forehead, her skin was hot. There was nothing that Andrea could do for her though. They had to wait till the morning to leave and head for the farm. When she had woken, she noticed that Alana was no longer shaking, though there were a few seconds here and there where a tremor would travel through her. Looking back out the window, Andrea knew they couldn't stay there much longer.

It was a somewhat easy task to wake Alana. She groggily sat up in the bed, looking at her watch. It was almost 11AM.

"The street looks clear," Andrea was telling her. "We'll head downstairs and I'll bring the truck closer."

Alana didn't argue with the plan. She had slept for so long, yet she felt as if she hadn't slept at all. Andrea handed her the peanuts and she ate a few. All she really wanted was to go back to sleep. Her body was spent.

And she needed that damn medication.

The medication that Daryl had given her.

She had been trying not to think of him. At least in her sleep she was able to escape from all thoughts of him. After hearing what Andrea had said about Carol, how she had taken off running, Alana had begun to think that perhaps Daryl hadn't simply left her behind. Maybe he had even come back looking for her, but she was already gone.

But still…she was _left behind_. Her face scrunched up.

No, no. She had to stop that, there was no time to waste thinking on that.

Andrea led her down the stairs; at the bottom she began reusing the rifle as a sort of support stick to keep weight off her bad knee. Alana waited by the door while Andrea headed carefully over to the truck. She opened the door as quietly as possible and slid in. She stuck one leg out from the truck, keeping the door open as she started the engine and drove it quickly over to Alana. There were no walkers in sight, yet. Alana began rushing out from the building towards the truck. Andrea met her halfway, doing her best to place all her weight onto herself as she pulled her to the driver's side. There were no walkers in sight, but they could be lingering and the spurt of the engine could bring them down upon Alana and Andrea quickly. Andrea pushed Alana up into the truck; Alana grabbed at the seats and pulled herself as far as in as she could. It wasn't too difficult to get the truck turned around in the street even though it had a rather horrendous turning radius. As they came to the end of the small town Andrea looked down quickly to the fuel gauge. Almost half a tank.

The truck had horrible suspension and Alana was quickly jolted fully awake. It was only about a mile till the small dirt road that led to the farm. Both women were thinking of the possibility that there might be walkers on the road; it wasn't wide enough to make a fluid turnaround.

"If there's too many walkers, we'll have to just reverse the way out," Alana said, leaning her head against the window. "If there aren't too many, just run them over."

The only walkers on the road were dead; when the others had come through they must have had the same idea and ran them over.

The dirt road was worse on her body. Alana was filled with tension. She looked down the road to see it empty. She wanted to tell Andrea to drive faster, to hurry, but knew it would only make things worse. Finally they reached the clearing and the farm came into view. Andrea stopped the truck.

The barn was a burnt shell that had collapsed on itself; the remnants of the RV stood torched at its side. The fields up ahead were littered with the walkers they had taken out. Here and there they saw the half eaten corpses of the cows that had not been able to get away. There were areas where it looked like the fencing had been broken, ploughed through; must have been some cows who were able to get away. There was no telling where they had run off to, walkers possibly close behind. Andrea leaned forward in the driver's seat, scanning over the farm. There was no sight of any walkers that were still moving. They had just…moved on. Andrea threw the truck back into drive and continued down the road. She did her best to avoid the bodies of the walkers that blocked their way, but in most spots had no choice, and had to drive right over them.

She stopped the truck in front of the house. Leaving the keys in the ignition she got out and made her way quickly round the house. Alana sat in the truck, machete in hand.

Andrea was dumbfounded. She couldn't rightly believe how empty and quiet the farm was. The shack that Randall had been kept in was still standing, doors wide open, but nothing inside. The stables, though at the back of the farm, still stood as well. If she could just block out the walkers that lay all around, and the blood, it was if nothing had ever befallen them the other night. She came back round to the front of the house. Alana saw her slow down, eyes glued to something on the ground, then pick her pace back up.

Alana swung the door open and slid out from the truck. She limped her way over to her car that was still parked out front. Andrea met here there and watched as Alana reached in, resting her good knee against the back seat as she looked through the packs.

Alana's laugh was unearthly as she shook her head.

"_Of course,"_ she said in German. She looked back to Andrea. "They took the pack with the medical supplies in it."

"Shit," Andrea muttered. What were they to do now?

"At least…they were kind enough to leave us this," Alana said, pulling a silencer out from the gun pack. She twisted it onto her handgun and grabbed ammo. She handed Andrea one of the rifles. The ammo she had wouldn't go with Andrea's original rifle.

"What's in the other pack?" Andrea asked her.

Alana reached further in, unzipping the second pack.

"Food."

She pulled the pack out and Andrea took it from her, walking with it over to the truck where she opened the tailgate and placed the pack. Alana dragged the gun pack behind her to the truck.

"Stay here," Andrea told her, grabbing a handgun. She headed into the house to find that bottle of medicine.

Alana fought the want to lie down and instead reloaded her rifle. She looked round the farm, taking second glances at every corner. She heard a soft_ pop_ followed by a second. A few seconds later Andrea came out, bottle in hand.

"Two in the kitchen," Andrea said.

"Upstairs?" Alana asked as she opened the bottle and swallowed two of the pills.

"Clear. Let's get you inside."

Andrea helped her up the porch and into the living room. Andrea walked back outside, grabbing the two packs and anything else she could find in Alana's car. She piled it all on the small coffee table in the living room. She then dragged the two walkers out. Alana set her machete and gun on the couch then picked through the food pack, pulling out a bag of jerky and began eating. Andrea went into the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher of tea that was in the fridge. Alana handed her a second bag of jerky and the two ate in silence.

Looking around the room, Alana commented, "Looks like they left in a hurry."

Andrea agreed. "Do you think we'll be safe here? At least for a few days?"

They both knew they couldn't move before Alana was completely recovered. And with no certainty that the antibiotics would be enough to take care of the infection there was no telling how long they may have to stay there. If they could just keep her immune system in check she might recover in a day or two. T-Dog had been treated nearly immediately after receiving his cut; Alana had gone nearly two days with no medication and two days was more than enough time for bacteria to find its way into her wound and into her blood.

"Possibly," Alana answered Andrea. "But we can't stay here, just the two of us? There's no way we could do it. It's too much land to cover."

Andrea looked down to the bottle of medication Alana had set on the table.

"Are those going to work?"

"Probably not," Alana said. "I don't know." She picked up the bottle and looked at the dosage listed on the bottle. "Not a very strong antibiotic. If I were to take the 'proper' dosage, I'd run out tomorrow." Alana faintly smirked. "Would likely go into septic shock and die."

"What do you need?" Andrea asked carefully.

"Intravenous antibiotics. IV."

Andrea's eyes widened. "Hershel had those. Shane and Otis, they went and got them when Carl was shot." She stood up. "I saw it, they brought back a bag full…do you think they took them with them?"

"I doubt it," Alana said, leaning back onto the couch. She was getting so much more tired, now that she was out of that truck.

Andrea watched her closely, trying to hide the worry on her face. "I'll look around." Alana slightly nodded at her before closing her eyes.

Andrea wandered through the house, checking everywhere. There was nothing in the room that had belonged to Alana and Daryl, or the one that Hershel had moved into. In the bathroom she found nothing. It was so much stuff, the others couldn't have possibly gotten it all to the cars. She checked the closet in the hallway, but only found towels and cleaning products. Perhaps it was upstairs…Andrea headed up the stairs and checked all the rooms. Still nothing. She had some luck in the two bathrooms; there was a bottle of rubbing alcohol, bandages, and antibiotic cream. But there had to be more. Where was the rest of it?

As she planted her feet at the bottom of the stairs it clicked. Andrea walked into the kitchen and began opening all the cabinets. Two were filled with the alcohol from the bar. She grabbed a bottle and headed back to the living room. Placing everything down on the couch Andrea marched over towards the front door. How stupid could she be? Never once had she ever truly laid eyes on the closet situated right next to the doorway. There was a large coat rack that seemed to take over that corner and so Andrea rarely took a second glance.

She smiled when she opened the door and found Hershel's medical equipment.

"Alana!" she said. "I found it!"

Alana opened her eyes to see Andrea carrying everything over. She unzipped a bag and looked in. Alana leaned down to pick up an IV bag, reading over the label on it.

"Will it work?" Andrea asked.

"Are there any needles in there?" Alana asked and at her words Andrea scrambled through the supplies. There was a large pouch on the side and in it was a collection of needles.

Alana pushed herself up as much as possible on the couch and rubbed at her face; she needed to be at alert for what had to be done next.

"Alright, hand that over." She knew that Andrea didn't have a clue what to do and was unsure of having to do anything. "I need your belt." Alana shrugged out of her jacket, pushing her sleeve up to her shoulder. As Andrea took her belt off she set the IV bag up with the tubing and connector. She held out her left arm and Andrea wrapped her belt round her upper arm. "Tight as you can make it. Towel." Andrea grabbed a towel from the hallway closet and came back; Alana opened the bottle of rubbing alcohol and poured some over her arm. Andrea soaked the towel in more and rubbed her arm down along with hers and Alana's hands. As a safe measure, she poured some over the needle. Alana tapped at her skin, feeling round for the vein, waiting for it to pop up. "Put your finger right there, you see it?" Andrea nodded. "Keep your finger there." Alana bent over, staring at the vein as she pushed the needle in. She was thankful that the vein didn't roll. "It's in, grab the bag." Andrea grabbed the bag and Alana connected the tubing. Andrea held the bag up above Alana's head; she could see the liquid gathering in the drip chamber. Alana released the clamp and they both watched as the medication made its way down the tubing and through the needle. When both gave a sigh of relief Andrea handed Alana the bag while she went over to grab the coat rack; she hanged the IV bag from one of the hooks.

Alana sat on the couch, still, for an hour. She watched the drip of the fluid. Andrea had gone off to look around the house, to gather anything they might need, to see what the others had left behind. She brought everything else out from the closet of Hershel's medical supplies.

"We should really clean you knee," she told Alana.

"Yeah," Alana said, pulling herself up. She looked into the bag of Hershel's and pulled out a roll of medical tape. She handed it to Andrea who proceeded to tape up her arm, securing the needle in place. "Any scissors around?" She took the brace off and threw it behind her. Andrea brought a pair of scissors and began cutting through Alana's jeans.

Alana grabbed the bottle of alcohol Andrea had brought from the kitchen. She took a large gulp and then tipped the bottle above her knee. Andrea grabbed another towel and went to get another bottle. She soaked the new towel and brought it over to Alana. Once her knee looked decent Andrea reached for the bandages. She stopped when Alana began shaking her head.

"Stitches aren't exactly ideal when you're on the move," Alana said.

And Andrea knew what she meant.

"Should we do it now?" she asked Alana, already looking around, trying to figure out where the iron would be. "There's no, I didn't find any pain medication."

Alana remained seated, looking at her knee. "Best to get it done with now. Sooner we get it done, the faster it'll heal, and the faster we can then leave."

"Right," Andrea said under her breath as she walked off to find the iron.

When she found it she took it into the kitchen to wipe it down. She then headed back upstairs to look through the rooms. She and the other women hadn't had much of any time to grab their things, and so she went through the rooms, searching through the items. She found two bottles of Tylenol with a total of 11 pills. In Hershel's room she found a bottle of generic Ibuprofen. She came downstairs and handed the bottles to Alana before walking back into the kitchen to plug the iron in. she headed into the living room to see what Alana was doing.

She had gone through the medical bag of Hershel's and pulled out a scalpel. She was soaking it in alcohol along with a pair of medical scissors. Her leg was propped up on the coffee table and she was examining the skin on her knee. With all the movement lately the stitches had begun to tear through the skin in other places and crude scabs had begun to form over the stitches themselves.

"Okay, bring it here," Alana said. She grabbed a pair of gloves from a small box in the bag and put them on.

Andrea went to grab the iron, unplugging it from the wall and also grabbing another bottle of alcohol. She set the bottle down but held onto the iron. Alana looked up to her.

"I'm going to cut the stitches out first, clean the area, then the iron. Now, I'll have to bend my knee, if not, I won't be able to properly bend it afterwards."

Andrea nodded.

Alana took a deep breath and reached for the scalpel. She leaned over her knee, slicing at the scabs and pulling them off. Once the stitching was free, she grabbed the pair of scissors and made a cut in the stitches just at the knot. Alana bit down on her lip as she removed them. Once they were out she grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured the rest on her knee. She then reached for Andrea's belt at her side and placed it in her mouth as she pulled her knee up into a bent position. She looked over at Andrea and nodded.

Andrea didn't have a clue how long to keep the iron against her skin and almost hesitated, but Alana reached out and grabbed her arm, bringing the iron down onto her knee. She hissed and stomped her other foot. She quickly pressed the iron over the area and then pulled her knee away. Andrea immediately rushed to the kitchen to place the iron in the sink. When she returned Alana was reaching for the second bottle of alcohol, twisting the lid off and throwing her head back as she drank.

"You should probably get some rest," Andrea said, moving to clean the area around Alana up.

"Yeah." Alana stood slowly, using the coat rack for support. Andrea looked at her like she was crazy. Alana sighed. "If this doesn't work and I die, I'd like to at least die in a bed and not passed out on this couch."

Alana made her way into the bedroom, closing the door behind her. She leaned her back against it, staring at the room. Her belongings were still there; her clothes on the floor and in the chair, her presents the guys had given her stuffed under the bed, crossbow in the closet. Wilhelm's clothes were stacked neatly next to the chair. Next to them were Daryl's.

She knocked the pile over with the coat rack as she moved slowly over to the left side of the bed to lie down. She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

WDWDWDWD

The next morning everyone stared over towards the doors to the prison. It was a great relief that no walkers had come out during the night. And none had gathered up at the fencing. The prison being so far out in the middle of nowhere, even if some had shown up, the group would have been able to spot them long before they even got remotely close to the prison.

Rick had gone by both vehicles, looking for flashlights. There were three, but one was running on nearly dead batteries. He looked over everyone, trying to figure out whom he would ask to come along with him. He had taken Glenn with him yesterday; he didn't want to keep dragging the poor man along with him. He almost asked Daryl, but saw the distant look on his face, how he was staring off down the road they had taken to reach the prison. His mind wasn't here today. Rick looked to T-Dog, nodding his head towards the prison. T-Dog nodded in response.

"We'll head inside first, make sure the place is safe," he said as he and T-Dog stepped away from the group. "Everyone just keep close to the vehicles. Glenn, Daryl, I need you at the corners of this building. We didn't see any other opened doors, but it's best to have a lookout just in case." Glenn nodded his head, smiled to Maggie, and then walked off towards the end of the basketball court where he then stood and looked around. Daryl looked to no one, grabbing a baseball bat along with his crossbow and stalking off past the building.

He would look back at the group from where he stood and see them huddled round the cars. He'd even catch some of them looking over towards them. When he caught Carol, she quickly looked away. But when he saw Beth staring over towards him, a moment passed before she turned away.

Daryl scowled. Stupid people. Why couldn't they just leave him the fuck alone? He turned his back to them and stared out over the prison grounds.

He didn't really know how long he stood there, hadn't seemed that long, least not long enough for Rick and T-Dog to have covered the entire prison. But next thing he knew the two men had come back out and were animatedly speaking with the others. He saw Glenn come running over to them and some of the others were ushering him over. It all made Daryl just more irritated. Hadn't even been standing there that long and now they wanted him to come back? What was he, a fucking dog to them?

And just like the dog he was sure they thought he was, he walked back to them and allowed himself to be guided through the prison by Rick and T-Dog. They were going on and on about how they found survivors, guards, stuck in the cafeteria, and the insane amount of food they had.

They were eating meatloaf and as soon as the group entered the cafeteria the aroma made their stomachs growl in hunger.

The cafeteria was a collection of tables, bolted to the ground, four individual benches on each side. The group eagerly began fixing themselves plates and sitting down. Daryl moved slowly through the line, filling his plate from the larger ones filled with food. He walked over towards a section of the room that the others were not filling and took a seat at the table by himself. He was upset when Dale came and sat across from him.

Daryl listened as everyone began talking, but he couldn't keep from looking over to the four guards. He couldn't fucking believe Rick. Rick, of all people, was blind as hell.

They weren't no guards that got locked up here.

They were the inmates.

His thoughts were confirmed when one, an older white man with long grisly gray hair asked Rick if they were the rescue crew. Axel was his name. He looked to be in his 50's. Another inmate, the same complexion, with a poor comb over and glasses asked what it was like on the outside; he mentioned that all they knew was what the televisions had shown. That was when Rick asked if they were the guards and the room instantly became quiet.

"Oh, that's just rich. Tell me, do we look like the guards to you?" a third man asked. He was a tall black man with a bald head. He had a tattoo of a skull with a snake in its mouth along the left side of his head. Looked like he was in his late 30's.

Lori instantly became paranoid, eyes wide like a doe's, asking the four men what their crimes were, why they were in prison. She instinctively put a hand on Carl's shoulder. Hershel and his girls sat at their table, with Glenn, still as stones. T-Dog glanced quickly at his baseball bat, ready to grab for it. Carol sat across from him, shoulders tensed. Dale looked between Rick and the inmates, not knowing what could possibly happen in the next few minutes, seconds.

Axel spoke first. "Armed robbery."

The man with the glasses, Thomas, said, "Tax fraud. But it wasn't my fault." Daryl guessed he was in his 40's.

There was a younger black man, likely around 25,the fourth of the group, with dreadlocks to his ears. Andrew. "Drugs, possession, man, selling, stealing, I did it all. But not no more. No. Totally clean. You gotta be, you know."

The man with the tattoo on his head, Dexter leaned back in his chair. "Murder."

Just fucking great, Daryl thought. Rick was having a hell of a run in picking places for them to hole up in. First the CDC, then the farm, and now this place.

Dexter went on that no one had anything to worry about, unless they were his wife or her boyfriend. And he said they couldn't possibly be either of them, seeing as how he killed them.

Rick asked how they had gotten locked in the cafeteria and Dexter told the group of how the guards had abandoned the place. He and the others didn't know why the cells were opened, they figured either the guards needed their help to get out—some of those walkers had gotten inside—or they didn't want them to starve. The place became overrun rather quickly. They ran into a few remaining guards and fought their way out, but then the guards locked them up in the cafeteria and that's where they had been ever since.

Daryl watched and listened as Rick tried to defuse the situation, to calm the group. Kept asking the inmates questions; what their names were, how long they had been in prison. What they had gone through in the time they'd been stuck in the cafeteria. That was just like Rick, always trying to show the good in people. Of course, if said people then turned out to be a threat, he'd try to dispose of them. Had worked out so well with Randall.

"I could show you around if you want," Dexter offered. "Kinda interested in seeing what this place looks like now."

Rick looked quickly around to the others. Daryl was the only one still eating, as if he hadn't heard a single thing that had been said. As if he didn't care. In a way, he didn't.

"Let's go," Rick said. Hershel joined him and Dexter as they began walking around.

Daryl and the others could hear them in the back of the kitchen; Dexter was saying how without electricity the freezer was a waste. They had been using it to toss their piss and shit in. Daryl could see into the kitchen and saw the ceiling-high shelves Dexter was talking about, all filled with cans and boxes. He heard Dexter say that the water was still running and he could practically hear the smiles spread across everyone's face. Seemed that they were quick to follow in Rick's lead. One day they wanted him to step down as leader, to even split into their own groups, and the next day they eagerly rode his coattails.

The three men left then, off to explore the rest of the what the inmates were calling C-Block. There was a gym, which apparently was filled with walkers (they'd have to be dealt with later), a laundry room, and even a garage with a couple of buses and cars inside. They returned to the cafeteria where they sat back down and continued eating. Rick then stood up and spoke, that façade of "policeman" in place.

"Alright, let's all start picking out our rooms. No sleeping in the cars tonight." Everyone seemed pleased with the plan. "Tomorrow we can all walk around and get familiar with the place. There's some areas that are still closed off, so we'll have to be sure to mark those off, keep anyone from walking into a trap."

The group began bringing in what little supplies they had and picking out cells that would become their rooms. The inmates kept to themselves during the process. Rick and Hershel had brought back a cart from the laundry room filled with extra sheets and pillows and blankets. Though the lights didn't work the prison had numerous reinforced windows that allowed sunlight in. Half the group chose cells on the second level, the others settled for the first level. Rick must have been thinking they would be there permanently, as he did with the past two locations, for he chose a cell on the first level. Didn't want Lori having to climb the stairs, being pregnant. Dale chose a cell down with them as well. All together, it was Rick and family, Dale, Dexter and Andrew, and Hershel and Beth. Up on the second level were Carol, T-Dog, Axel, Glenn and Maggie, and Daryl. Some of them kept the metal bunk beds while a couple tossed them out, stacking the mattresses. Those who kept the bunks quickly adopted the idea of doubling the mattresses. Rick took one of the discarded bunk bed frames and moved it into his and Lori's cell. Two more mattresses were brought in and the bunk beds were pushed together. Axel helped him set them up. Lori stood a distance away, keeping Carl at her side until he left to go back to his own cell.

Dexter told them that they could close the cell doors; the locking system didn't work and if something tried to get in, there was no sleeping through one of those cell doors being opened. The information gave the group some comfort. It wasn't just the walkers that they were worried about getting them in the middle of the night.

Daryl didn't take long to settle into his cell. He left the bunk beds where they were; didn't bother with doubling the mattress. The sun was still up, the others were either resting in their cells or back in the cafeteria, eating more food. Daryl sat on the bottom bunk in his cell. His tube of arrows lay on the mattress next to him. He was going through the satchel from his bike. He was at the end of the group of cells being occupied; least this way no one would be passing by and bothering him.

He was becoming more irritated by the moment. The emotions rolling through him, it was never ending. He admitted that, back at the Atlanta camp, when they told him Merle had been left handcuffed to that roof, he had reacted…poorly. Even cried a bit. That was his brother they left in the city. Yet…he quickly got over it. Got over losing his brother, being separated from him. What had he said to Rick when they went looking for Merle?

_Only Merle can kill Merle._

While the loss of Merle had an impact on Daryl, he was capable of accepting that loss, living with it, because he knew that Merle needed no one else. Merle could take care of himself. He still thought about him though, wondered where he was, but didn't drag himself down about it. Alana though…she wasn't Merle. She may have been an army brat, but…but she needed looking after. She needed to be taken care of. Daryl was supposed to do that. It's what Wilhelm had wanted. And he had failed. When they had reached the highway the other morning and he didn't see her there, he wanted to go back. Wanted to find her. It was more than Rick telling him to stay that kept him from going back. It was like in those few, quick seconds he had gone through all the emotions of loss, coming to a harsh halt at reality. Alana wasn't there. The more time that went by without Alana showing up, it only cemented the thought, the belief, the _fact_ that she was gone. Lost to him.

Daryl had years of experience in pushing things deep down in himself and not letting them out. He was not one for allowing his feelings to have free reign over him, to control him. Sure, he had his moments where it all built up to such heights that he had to let it out, had to vent.

He looked around the cell, peered up to the top bunk. He could just hear Alana's voice, claiming it as hers. She would have likely stuck her head over the edge and talked to him, tossed things down to him.

No, he had to stop that. Stop thinking about her. She was gone. He couldn't be thinking these things, allowing himself to hope. Hope was treacherous.

It was just…

It was just easier to give up.

He ignored that voice hiding at the back of his mind, asking why, if it was easier to just give up, he had stood out there on the road, watching, waiting for her.

A shadow flowed over him and Daryl looked to the cell entrance.

"What the hell ya want?" he asked in an irritated tone when he looked up to see Beth standing in front of his cell. She was wrapped up in Hershel's coat. The girl had always stayed away from him. And now here she was, looking like she had something to say. "Well?" He went back to going through his belongings, wanting to be alone.

She spoke in a quiet voice, like she didn't want the others to hear, taking a few steps into his cell.

"I'm sorry. I wanted to say I'm sorry, about Alana. No one else has said anything and I didn't think it was right. So, I'm sorry. I wish she was still here." Daryl didn't know how to respond; he hadn't had a clue what she could possibly have to say to him. "I wish I could bring her back."

Beth walked away quickly then, leaving Daryl to fully come to grips with the fact that Alana was gone. Her words, her admission that Alana was gone and that she actually mourned her, it left Daryl with no room to block her from his mind.

She was real.

She had been real.

And for a short moment, in some strange way, she had been his.

Daryl hung his head.

WDWDWDWD

Alana awoke, the ceiling blurry for the first moments of opening her eyes, and then it came into focus. The sun was still up in the sky. She turned her head to the side and looked to the IV drip. Still dripping. That was all good and well for her. Her knee looked ghastly. And she still looked like a mess. She sat up and moved to the corner of the bed, dragging the coat rack with her. Using her right arm she picked through her clothes still sitting on the chair. She needed shorts. She spotted a pair of Wilhelm's shorts on the floor. As slowly as she could, Alana removed her lower clothing and put on clean ones. She took her time with pulling the shorts up over her knee. With the IV in place she wouldn't be able to change her shirt yet. She could try, but it would be quite a spectacle she wagered. It was a chore, bending her knees to tie her boots, but once it was done Alana exited the bedroom, coat rack at her side.

"Andrea?" she called out when in the living room, but there was no response. She grabbed her handgun that had been left on the couch and went to the door. There was Andrea, under the tree where they had buried Otis and Sophia. She was digging a hole. Nearby was a cloaked figure on the ground. She must have been wrapped up in her task; she didn't look behind her when Alana came out onto the porch.

It wasn't enjoyable or easy, dragging that coat rack with her, but she managed it, even going down the steps of the porch and choosing her footing carefully over the ground. Alana looked down at her knee, the skin bright red, screaming red. Screaming in pain. She should have taken some of that Tylenol.

"What are you doing?" she asked Andrea, trying to keep her voice from straining.

Andrea stopped digging and looked back at her. She wasn't going to chastise her for being up. She wouldn't want to be confined to a bed either.

She waited till Alana had made it over to the tree then looked down at the figure draped in a blanket.

"Patricia," was all she said.

Alana looked down at the blanket. She could see the bloodstains. The figure underneath looked…wrong. Incomplete.

Andrea had already finished the digging and dropped the shovel. She walked to the other side of what remained of Patricia and pushed her into the grave. Alana watched as she picked up the shovel and began filling the grave. When she was done they stood there for a moment in silence.

"I couldn't bury Jimmy," Andrea told her. "There wasn't…"

Alana nodded. She looked out over the farm and squinted. Buzzards. They were likely feeding off of one of the cows.

"We should cover the cows up, cover the scent."

"I'll do it, you can't move around with that stupid thing," Andrea said, eyeing the coat rack.

"I have a remedy for that," Alana countered, turning around and heading back to the house.

Andrea followed after her.

Alana came out from the bedroom with the crossbow slung across her back. She took the IV bag off the coat rack and handed it to Andrea along with the medical tape. It was silly looking, but Andrea taped the bag up onto the crossbow and the drip continued. Alana grabbed the Tylenol and swallowed the pills. She bandaged the knee lightly. Picking up her rifle to use as a cane again, handgun tucked away, Alana followed Andrea outside. She hopped up onto the tailgate while Andrea drove the truck down the dirt road to the first dead cow. She stayed seated while Andrea went over and dug up dirt to toss over the it.

"There's one more over there," Alana pointed out as Andrea was coming back to the truck from finishing with the third cow. Hopefully it was nothing by bones by now.

Andrea drove as near as possible; when the truck began to battle against the hills she stopped.

"Be back in a few," she told Alana who was still seated in the truck bed, legs stretched out.

It was strange, how sound carried over the farm. Alana looked over to Andrea at the sound of the shovel falling to the grass. She saw as Andrea stepped unsurely before kneeling. Alana cried out to her twice, but she did not look back. She could see her shoulders hunch and shiver.

Alana scooted off of the tailgate and began walking over to her.

It was Shane.

Shane…dead.

Andrea patted at his head. He had been shot. But there was blood on his shirt. "I don't understand," Andrea said through tears. She looked up to Alana. "What happened?"

Alana couldn't kneel, but she came as close as she could.

"He was stabbed."

"But…but there aren't any bite marks. Why, why did he change?"

"We're all infected," she told Andrea with remorse. "All of us." She shook her head. "I thought you all knew, so I never said anything. Made things easier if you didn't think about it." Her voice had become monotonous with each word.

Shane was dead.

Andrea looked back down at him. "It doesn't matter then, does it, how we die? We'll still come back."

Alana didn't bother nodding or saying yes; she knew that Andrea had figured everything out. She looked back down at Shane. His eyes were glass, staring up at the sky. The blood on his face from his nose was a dark brown, almost black. He looked a horrid copy of himself.

"Someone killed him…" Andrea said quietly. "Someone killed him." She didn't say it, but her thoughts had turned to Rick. He was the one with him last. "Why?"

"We need to bury him," Alana told her. She knew that Andrea had had some sort of connection with Shane. She would often hear her speak of "Shane thinks this, Shane says this." Staring down at him, Alana did not believe he had purposely been killed. When he had come in that day, into her room and spoke with her, she could see that something had broken within him. And she felt regret, pity.

Andrea wiped at her face, sniffling. She nodded and stood up. With Alana ahead of her, she dragged Shane back to the truck and began digging a grave for him under the tree.

Alana left and came back with a shovel of her own. She couldn't help dig, but she could help bury.

"You shouldn't be doing that," Andrea muttered.

"I'm drugged and drunk. I'll deal with the pain when I'm sober," Alana told her.

Andrea made no further argument.

Shane was buried and the two women went inside the house.

The sun would still be up for a while. Alana went back to the bedroom to lie down; Andrea sat in the living room, going through the weapons, her face a mask. Alana took the crossbow from her back and returned the IV bag to the coat rack. She wanted to take her boots off and curl up under the blankets. But she couldn't. Alana still had to be ready in case they had to leave, in case something happened. She walked over to the scattered pile of Daryl's clothing and picked up a shirt. Lying down on her back, she laid the shirt, unbuttoned, across her and closed her eyes.

She did feel horrible for Shane. For his twisted fate. But for the life of her all she could think of was Daryl. How he was gone and she was here. Left on the farm, just like Shane.

Where was he?

Her bottom lip quivered.

**This chapter was so tedious to write! Had to wander the internet and read up about IV bags, sepsis, stitches, and trying to not get Alana and Andrea confused. Had to read through this chapter a couple of times; found a bit here or there where I had something like 'Alana said to Alana' haha. **

**I think this is the longest chapter I've written! There was just so much I wanted to include and didn't want to cut the chapter in half or anything. **

**So we have finished Day 2! Well, kinda, I guess. The next chapter will have quick summaries of what the group did at bedtime, as well as Alana and Andrea. Then the rest of the chapter will be about Day 3. In Day 3 I will be going into more detail about the prison and various rooms, help you guys to set up a proper image of the whole place in your heads. And I will provide more characterization for the inmates. The next chapter will also include spoilers for the comics, so just a heads up. It will still be for the same issues/volume. There may also be spoilers for the 4th volume, but I haven't decided on that for certain yet. **

**Question Time!**

**What are some reasons that you believe Alana and Andrea would leave the farm for? They will eventually have to be reunited with the rest of the group, but I am still throwing around different ideas on how to get that event in motion.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Spoiler for this chapter: contains storylines from Volume 3 of the comic series, issues #13-18. **

Eventually it became too dark within the prison to walk around without the possibility of falling over the railing. The commotion with the occupied cells died down as everyone settled in for the night. Rick still wanted to keep a watch going. Dale offered to take first watch. Third on the list was Daryl.

He could hear the others down below closing their cell doors. None of those on the upper level with him closed theirs. He didn't bother either. If walkers suddenly showed up inside, they'd reach the bottom cells first. The ones down below likely closed theirs because the inmates were down there with them. He had initially been irritated by the thought of having to listen to those cell doors howl each time someone came or left, but as he headed back upstairs from dinner he saw that they were all keeping the cell doors slightly ajar; just enough for them to slip through. No walker would be able to get through without that junk of metal howling out.

At dinner Daryl attempted to sit by himself once again. But Beth had been the first Greene to sit down and she sat at the table next to his. The rest of the Green family joined; Glenn sat with Daryl since there were only four seats to the tables. Dale of course then came and joined them. As well as Carol.

The women seemed insistent on being at his side nonstop. Kept finding some way to have to wander on by him. And every time he stared her down she always had that look on her face like she pitied him or something. Like she was wanting to help him. Dumb bitch had even come up to him, while everyone was heading to the cafeteria to eat the leftover meatloaf for dinner, and actually asked him if he thought it was a good idea to shack up in the prison. If allowing those inmates to stay there was a safe decision.

He had gazed down his nose at her, saying it wasn't his call to make. Told her is she wanted to go back on the road she could, he'd even give her lift there. Anything to get her away from him.

These days weren't getting any easier, he thought, as he lay in his cell and stared up at the top bunk. He didn't have a clue how long he had till it was his turn on watch. Figured he'd likely just stay awake until that time came. Past couple of days, sleep didn't come easy. Part of him was exhausted, but it didn't really matter all that much to him.

Must have dozed off at some point. Next thing he knew, Dale was shaking his shoulder. Old man had taken two shifts in the night. Last one was left to Daryl. Must have been around 3AM.

He went and sat outside, on the roof of the suburban, binoculars at his side. Crossbow behind him. He scanned over the horizon. Still, Daryl caught himself slowing as he came across the road they had taken to reach the prison. He'd lift the binoculars and peer through them, only to lower them.

He wished Beth _could _bring her back.

WDWDWDWD

That same night, Alana and Andrea sat in the dining room. They were eating some of the deer that Daryl had caught that was put in the freezer. They were thankful the generator had survived the walkers and that the fire hadn't reached it. They had decided to eat before the sun went down, so that they would have the light. As dusk set upon them they went through the rooms of the house and turned them off. Andrea had gathered the lanterns and had them all gathered in the living room. They kept one lantern on, as low as possible, set on the floor. They stuck it under the coffee table so that the light wouldn't be easily be seen from outside.

"How are you feeling?" Andrea asked Alana while they sat in the living room on the couches, staring out the front door. The screen door and main one were closed, but the curtain was pulled back. Both women had pairs of the night vision goggles and would get up to walk through the house, looking out all the windows with them.

"Better," Alana answered. She had taken the IV out after dinner. It wouldn't be a wise idea to sleep with it still in; she'd likely turn in her sleep and either topple the coat rack over or rip the needle out. Or perhaps even both. She wagered that she only needed the one IV bag and wouldn't have to worry about the sepsis any longer; she left the needle in place, rewrapping it with bandage and putting a hand brace over it that Andrea found in Hershel's room. Now this way she wouldn't have to worry about bending the needle. If there was a way to avoid having to use another needle she was going to take it.

"What's the plan for tomorrow, if we can't stay here?" Andrea asked. She began to answer herself. "Guess we should pack everything we can into that car."

Alana nodded.

"We should probably cook the rest of that deer, take it with us. Pack as much food as possible. We'll focus on the two main packs, mine. We can pick out two small packs. Stick a bit of everything in them. If we have to ditch the car we won't be able to carry everything. We'll have to make some choices on what we need the most."

"We can go through the rooms tomorrow," Andrea told her. "Didn't have that much to begin with and it looks like Dale got a decent amount out. Shouldn't take too long."

"Right then."

Andrea stood up and headed over to the door to look outside. She turned back round to Alana. "I'll take first watch. Wake you up in a bit."

Alana put her coat back on and settled onto the couch. She took some of the Tylenol.

Andrea woke her up some hours later for her shift. And before they knew it, it was morning.

WDWDWDWD

As Daryl headed inside the prison he could smell the breakfast cooking in the cafeteria. There were different groupings of chatter flowing down the hallway. He wasn't exactly hungry. He wasn't exactly eager to be bombarded by the others yet again. Cafeteria wasn't going anywhere any time soon; he could eat when he wanted. Daryl headed back to his cell and laid down, to try and get a bit of sleep.

It was before noon when Rick awaked Daryl. He figured someone would eventually come by and bother him with some task they had set up for him. He remembered Rick saying that today they could venture further into the prison. And there were the dead walkers out in the field to deal with.

"Gonna take some of the others, dig up a, uh mass grave. Dump all those walkers into it," Rick told him.

"Suppose ya want me to tag 'long," Daryl said, sitting up.

"No," Rick said. "I want you to lead the others, cleaning out this section of the prison. About the middle of the day, so it's pretty well lit in here. There's still some bodies that need to be taken out and rooms we haven't gone into. Plus the gym."

"Yeah, alright," Daryl told him. At least he wouldn't have to dig a hole.

Once Daryl came downstairs he saw who all would be going with Rick and who he'd be stuck with dragging around through the prison. Rick would be taking Dale, T-Dog, Axel, and Andrew with him. Lori, of course, wasn't too pleased that two of the inmates would be going with Rick, but he had made sure that their group outnumbered the two of them. And in truth, Rick didn't worry much about Axel and Andrew. Axel just appeared to be watered down version of Merle while Andrew was a tiny man. If anything, he worried about Andrew being too skittish. Plan for Rick's group was to head out to the field with shovels that he had brought back from the garage Dexter had shown him. They'd start digging and wouldn't stop until all the walkers were in it. Needless to say, they'd be out there all day; likely wouldn't finish either. They'd have to come back the next day. Daryl soon found out who he'd have to babysit: Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Thomas, and Dexter. The others were going to spend the day outside. They'd also be serving as lookout for Rick and the others out in the field.

Daryl stood about waiting for his ragtag group to get together. Glenn and Maggie were missing. Apparently they had already begun to explore the prison. Rick, along with Hershel and Dexter, had gone as far as the barbershop with no issue with walkers; Daryl wasn't concerned about their safety, he was concerned that they were wasting his time.

He was about to give up on waiting and head off without them (he wanted to get this task out of the way) when Maggie and Glenn came back to the rows of the prison cells. T-Dog gave a low whistle when he saw them. Maggie's hair was short. Very short.

She rubbed at her head, the sensation strange to her.

"We found a barbershop," Glenn told them.

Beth came forward to gush over Maggie's pixie haircut. Maggie mumbled about wanting something new, a change. Though she was with Glenn, Hershel told them they needed to not wander off without telling someone else where they were going.

Daryl cut in to the conversations. "Can we get going yet?" He didn't had his crossbow and a baseball bat. Plus one of numerous guns they had pulled off from the walkers. Upside to a prison, plenty of guns. And since they would be inside none of them were worrying too much about the sound drawing walkers aside from those who were already inside. And they didn't believe there was that many left. The rooms could only hold so many of them.

The others quickly forgot about the barbershop. Rick and his group headed out for their task while Daryl's gathered round him to hear what the plan was. He was a bit taken aback to see them, waiting for instructions, from him. Hershel spoke up.

"Laundry room's closest, suppose we can head there."

"Yeah," Dexter said. "Your man Rick took out a walker in there."

Laundry room it was then. The group headed for it and discovered the walker in there. The place was a mess. Aside from the walker and its battered in head, it was just a mess and not dirty. Daryl decided they'd come back for the walker later. After clearing out the other sections they could come back through and take out all the bodies. Among the other rooms they came across were the showers. Dexter tested out the showerheads and laughed when the water came spurting out, sticking his head underneath, even though he had no hair. Showers were fairly big with four sections divided by four-foot walls. There wasn't going to be much privacy. Next room that they came across was actually a collection of administrative offices. Dexter had mentioned them to Rick the previous day.

Glenn happily plopped himself down in one of the couches. Sadly, it was actually more comfortable than the mattresses in the cells. He told the others that they should take the pillows from the couches.

"Ya wanna walk back on ya own, be my guest," Daryl told him. Glenn decided he would wait on taking the pillows.

In the last office room there was a putrid smell. Slumped over on the desk was a man, dressed in a guard's uniform. Dexter and Thomas walked forward to take a look at him.

"Peter Hamilton," Thomas said, leaning down and taking a look at the man's face. The side of his skull was decorating the floor and wall. Looked like he had blown his brains out. Gun was still in his hand. Dexter took it, seeing the blackened bite mark on his hand. Guess Peter had figured out what came next, after being bitten.

"Always said bastard would be dead long before me," Dexter said stepping away.

As they left the room Hershel closed the door. No need to have the stench spread out.

"Where was that barbershop?" Daryl asked Glenn and Maggie.

Glenn took the lead and led them to the room. It was near the shower, except they had taken a different turn than he and Maggie had originally.

The way to the barbershop was clear as well as the barbershop itself. Place looked untouched aside from Maggie's hair on the floor. Hershel said they should keep moving on. He left the room along with Maggie and Thomas. Dexter looked over to Glenn.

"That your girl or something?" he asked.

Glenn looked uncertain, about the question and about answering it. He nodded his head. Dexter only looked through his tiny eyes and nodded slightly, like he was making a mental note of something.

"Bet daddy keeps an eye on you," he told Glenn. He looked over to Daryl. "And where's your girl? Shit, end of the world, we all get one, right?" Daryl's face hardened and he walked out quickly. Glenn looked uneasily at the doorway and then to Dexter. "What's his problem?"

"His died," Glenn said, head down as he walked out as well.

Dexter stood there for a moment. "Hmph."

Everyone just had to keep reminding him, didn't they? First Beth had to come by his cell, saying that crap about Alana. He had to deal with Carol following him around, trying to do anything she could to pamper him, wait on him hand and foot. Dale wouldn't stop sitting with him in the cafeteria. And now even the fucking inmates were rubbing it in his face. Everyone else had so easily moved on about losing Alana and the others on the farm so why the fuck couldn't they let him move on?

He passed the others up to continue leading the way. He looked back once to see Glenn had joined back up with Maggie, walking at her side. He quickly turned back round; seeing the two of them only made him angry. And jealous.

Daryl was jealous of the fucking Chinaman.

Next room they came across was the library. It was actually…impressive. They couldn't even begin to guess at how many books there were. And more than books, there were movies. Glenn and Maggie had to hold their giggles in as they looked over the film titles; a large number of them were animated films.

"_Snow White's_ my favorite," Thomas said as he looked over them, running a finger over the spines.

Dexter scoffed. "Weak-ass shit. _Finding Nemo_. That's a film."

"We can have movie nights!" Glenn said.

"Used to watch the movies in the gym. Guards would set up a bunch of chairs, bring in a projector," Dexter was telling them.

"How you plan on getting that projector to work?" Hershel asked. "This place have any generators?"

Thomas and Dexter looked at each other.

"Yeah," Thomas said. "It's over past A-block."

A-block. It, along with B-block hadn't been opened yet. Far as they knew, both were crawling with walkers. A handful of them wasn't enough to enough to give them confidence in opening either block; walkers could just be crowded at the doors waiting to get out.

"We'll clear out the gym first," Daryl told them. Seemed like the best place to head to next. There were still other rooms to check out; they wouldn't be making it to the generator room anyways. It'd have to be saved for another day when Rick and the others could go with them.

"Gym it is," Dexter said as he headed out. "It's gonna be a bitch, I'll just say that."

The walk down the hallway was a slow one. With as much hype as Dexter was giving the number of walkers in the gym, it was awfully quiet. They stood at the doors, listening. There was nothing to be heard.

"How many did ya see in there?" Daryl asked Dexter and Hershel. Neither man could answer. "A guess…anything?"

"Door's weren't open for very long," Hershel told him.

Daryl sighed.

"Alright, you stay back here, make sure none get past us," he told Hershel.

Hershel grabbed the chain that was looped though the door handles, with a nod of his he pulled them out and stepped back.

The walkers had gathered towards the far end of the gym; only a few were wandering nearby to the doors. Daryl led the others in while Hershel remained at the doorway. Many of the walkers were slow to notice that the doors had been opened. And their movements once seeing Daryl and the others were slow. There were some who must have leaned against the walls, only to slide down towards the floor. They had trouble standing back up. Others appeared almost catatonic, possibly having stood in the same spot for such a long time. But the sight of the group had the walkers fighting to get near them. The floor was covered in their grime, bits of themselves sliding off the bones, the muscles becoming flimsy. The group had to be wary of the steps they took, making sure not to step in the numerous congealed puddles that had formed all across the floor. The smell was horrendous. When the herd of walkers had washed over them back on the highway when they lost Sophia, they could smell them as they came by. The smell remained even after the herd had long moved on. It was a stench that poisoned the air. At first Daryl and the others used their main weapons; the bats and axes. They fanned out into a curve and approached the walkers, progressing forward then backing up. They repeated the process. It wasn't so much that there was a large number of walkers in the gym, but that the gym was a confined area. And soon the walkers were gaining the ground on Daryl and the others.

Shots rang out and the group turned to see Hershel firing off his gun at walkers that had slipped past them.

"There's too many!" Glenn cried. "We gotta get out of here!"

Dexter and Thomas did not have to be told twice. The two men quickly turned round and headed for the doors. Glenn began to pull back. He looked over to Maggie. She wasn't budging.

"Come on!" he said to her, drawing his gun and firing at the walkers coming at himself and Maggie. She too had her gun drawn, but was aiming towards Daryl.

He had gone too far forward; away from the others. He was still using his bat to attack the walkers. One grabbed onto the collar of his shirt from behind him, but Maggie lucked out and shot it; its grasp slackened on Daryl as it crumbled to the floor.

"Daryl!" Glenn shouted, trying to pull Maggie away, towards the doors. "Come on man!"

But Daryl didn't listen to him, didn't hear him. He kept moving forward.

He didn't want to go back. Didn't want to leave that room. All Daryl saw was red. All he saw was Alana. Every walker that came into sight, they were every last one of them the one that had gotten her. He could even see it in his head, how she fell behind and the walkers swarmed over her. Saw as each one tore at her, bit into her. Every walker in that gym had her blood on them. Each of them had a part of her and he had nothing of her. Daryl faintly heard Maggie crying out to him as Glenn dragged her away. He looked back, but couldn't even see the doors to the gym anymore.

"We can't just leave him!" Maggie was saying, fighting against Glenn and her father as they all stood back and watched in horror.

The walkers surrounded him. Daryl pulled out his gun and began firing the rounds off towards them. But bullets were not never-ending. The _click_ of an empty barrel echoed through the gym. He could hear the doors being closed, the chain rattling against them. The bat hung loosely in his other hand. Flashes of Alana sped through his mind. He could see her, up on that roof, firing her gun off at him, forcing him to leave. He saw that feral fear in her eyes when he came back for her. The agony that rippled through her as Hershel scorched her skin. The way she clung to him in her sleep. That emptiness that overwhelmed her when Wilhelm didn't return. The way her hand was so tiny in his.

He was going to die in there.

Strange, it didn't bother him.

**Ooooo am I evil? Yeah, I think I'm evil. How's that for a cliffhanger? **

**Haha, I should hopefully be back later today with another chapter. Was going to do the entirety of Day 3 in this chapter, but it's looking like it's going to be a long one, so I figured I would be evil and it here for the time being, then do the rest as a separate chapter. Sorry if there are any typos in this chapter, I literally just finished and am putting it up; didn't want to keep you guys waiting. **

**Uh…well I don't really have any questions to put here, so instead I'll just ask for reviews hehe.**


	36. Chapter 36

**After a bit of a delay, here's the next chapter! **

Alana awoke to Andrea moving about in the kitchen, looking for something to eat. In one of the cupboards she found a box of oatmeal. She was filling a pot with water to place on the stove when Alana sat up from the couch. Looking down at her watch Alana saw that it was 8:27AM. Even during the end of the world it wasn't easy to sleep in late. She stood up and headed towards the bathroom. After washing her hands she put the IV back in; she taped the IV bag onto the crossbow and slung it across her back. It was easier to carry it around than that coat rack. Alana walked into the kitchen to sniff at the coffee that Andrea already had brewing.

"Any more in the night?" she asked Andrea. During her own watch she Alana had gone outside to take care of one walker that had come out from the woods next to the house. She had waited till it passed the house, making sure there was no more coming behind it. Last thing she needed was to waltz out after one only to have ten show up behind her.

"No, just that one you got," Andrea answered, staring down at the water, waiting for it to boil.

It had been difficult for either to sleep after that walker had stumbled onto the farm. They kept waiting for the others to follow. For another herd to sweep over the farm. Both were thinking that perhaps this time they wouldn't survive.

Alana walked out of the kitchen, wandering aimlessly through the house; even going up the stairs and back down a couple of times. She was working out her knee. If they wanted to get going soon, her knee would have to be ready to endure it. She still felt unsteady on her feet. For the most part, she could fight through the pain in her knee, but allowing the infection to fester for two days, the antibiotics could only work so fast. Grabbing the bottle of Tylenol she took two pills.

"I think it's ready," Andrea called out. She had poured the contents of the oatmeal into the pot of boiling water and had been stirring it. It slowly began to thicken and she was hoping she had done it correctly. She thought it should have been prepared in the microwave, but the Greene's didn't have one. Goal was to pour it into some hot water, Andrea supposed, so boiling some on the stove seemed like the best plan there was.

She scooped the contents into two bowls, grabbed spoons, and headed into the dining room. Alana joined her. Andrea looked up at her carefully a few times; she wanted to make sure she hadn't poisoned her with her cooking guesswork. Alana made no comments about the food, but steadily ate. Andrea took that to mean there was nothing wrong with it. Tasting it herself, it tasted fine, just rather bland. She got up and headed back into the kitchen, looking through the cabinets. She came returned with a container of cinnamon. She took the entire lid off and let it flow into her bowl. Handing it over, Alana did the same.

They talked over their plans for the day. They'd finish gathering everything in the house that could possibly be of use to them, then go through the process of deciding what, and just how much, they could take with them.

Alana began going through what had already been gathered in the living room while Andrea went back through the rooms, bringing out whatever she thought might be useful. Alana then went through the rooms, making sure she had not looked over anything. Andrea had brought down her own clothing from upstairs, but had not gone into the room Alana had shared with Daryl. As Andrea sorted through her clothes Alana headed over to the room. She picked through her pile of clothing, trying to decide which pieces would be most needed. She was down one pair of jeans; the pair she had worn during those two days was better off just being burned. Alana looked over to Wilhelm's clothes. With unsure hands she set down the garments in her hands on the bed and lifted each article of clothing of Wilhelm's. She unfolded a pair of his pants and held them up to her. Too long and too wide. Her fingers slowly began to clinch on the fabric. The shirts. She could at least take the shirts. Alana laid the pants aside and picked up two of the shirts. One was a button-up with long sleeves. She began rolling it up. She shivered. The room was cold. All the rooms were cold. She was still wearing a pair of Wilhelm's shorts, the fabric at the waist bunched up from her belt holding them up. She'd have to change out of them. She stared at the discarded pile of clothes next to the chair.

Alana came out to the living room to grab the needed medical supplies and went back into the bedroom. She took the bandages off her knee and cleaned it. She wrapped a new bandage on it loosely then undid the belt at her waist, stepping out from the shorts. She pulled the pair of Daryl's cargo pants from the pile and put them on. She took the belt and slipped it through the loops. They weren't as big as Wilhelm's though she still looked somewhat silly with the top of the pants bunched up under the belt. She sat down and undid her boots, tucking the legs of the pants into them. She looked at the shirt she was wearing then over her shoulder to the crossbow and IV bag that hung on it. Once the bag was empty she could change shirts.

She grabbed her tube of arrows from the closet and headed for the door. Still under the bed were the presents the others had given her. She stopped and turned back. Grabbing the CampStove Alana left the room.

Andrea was choosing what clothing to put in her backpack when Alana rejoined her. She pulled her own backpack towards her and began taking everything that was inside out of it. She set it all on the floor then looked over everything, putting aside things that she didn't need. She put the rolled up shirt in the bottom of the backpack, along with a pair of her own jeans. Andrea had started separating everything into piles, food all in one, flashlights, handweapons, etc. Alana grabbed a flashlight, checking the batteries. She put it in her pack. She picked out a pocketknife and stuck it in one of the outside pockets of the backpack. They still had the two pairs of night vision goggles and so they both stuck one in their pack. The medication was split between them as evenly as possible.

"What about that one?" Andrea asked, indicating the bag of Hershel's medical supplies.

"We'll just have to carry that one as is."

Andrea pulled the pack with the guns over towards her and began looking through. They had two rifles and a handful of handguns. And plenty of ammo. Neither were packing much as far as clothing was concerned and so she began dividing everything up from that pack. It was the ammo that was going to make their backpacks heavy, but it was better then keeping it all in that one large pack and one person carrying it. Andrea handed Alana various bits of food from the food pack and she stuffed it in her backpack. They now had an empty large pack and the original food pack, only half full.

"Guess we should fill this back up," Alana said and stood up, heading to the kitchen. Andrea followed after her and two started going through the cabinets, picking items out.

"Which way do we go, when we leave?" Andrea asked. "I found Wilhelm's map, looks like there's a lot of deadends."

Alana froze.

There were plenty of deadends that she and Wilhelm had already encountered. But one had been a lie. She looked through one of the cabinets as she replied.

"We'll keep heading the way we were going."

Andrea shook her head. "Wilhelm said the highway was packed. And you already came from that direction, so there's nothing there, right?" She turned round to look at Alana. "You did come that way, didn't you?"

Alana didn't stop in going through the cabinets.

"We didn't. Wilhelm lied. Far as we know, the way is open."

Andrea set down the bag of dried apples in her hand and stared at Alana, confusion and then realization setting in.

"Then…you saw us then, didn't you? When that herd came and we lost Sophia?"

Alana sighed and turned to face her.

"Yes, we saw you. We were ahead of you. Hadn't had luck with other groups so we weren't eager to stay put and hope for the best. When we heard Daryl's blasted motorcycle we ditched our car and hid. Then the herd came and we hid. Your group stayed on the highway so we hid. We tried to sneak away, but then Wilhelm decided to double back and that's when Dale saw us."

She waited for Andrea's reaction. She didn't know what to expect.

Andrea shook her head.

"They're not _my group_." She turned and went back to picking out food for the pack.

They finished packing in silence. Andrea headed out to the shack and stables. She came back with an axe. Alana had her machete, she wanted something too. Some two hours later the car was packed and ready.

It was past 1PM when Alana had had enough of waiting for the IV bag to empty. She pulled the needle out and headed back to the bedroom to change shirts. She grabbed a tank top and pulled a thermal long sleeve shirt over it. When she came back out from the room, fully ready now, Andrea was sitting at the dinning table, looking over the map.

"There's a prison, here," she said, pointing to a spot on the map. Alana walked over and looked at it. It was off of the highway; looked like they'd have to take some backroads to reach it. "What's that, maybe…100 miles? That's…2 hour drive."

"Yeah," Alana said, nodding her head. "Probably longer, depending on the drive, if there's anything in our way."

"Well, what do you think? It's worth a shot. Look, it's in the middle of nowhere. No nearby towns, nearest one is…Woodbury and it's what, 50 miles away?" Andrea looked up at her.

She shrugged her shoulders. "In the middle of nowhere…if anyone else thought of heading there, likely didn't make it. Only locals would have known it was there and…well, in the middle of nowhere, there likely weren't many locals to begin with. We'll head there. Roads should be pretty empty."

Andrea nodded, a small smile on her face. Alana began to walk away.

"I would have done the same thing," Andrea quickly said, turning in the chair. "It was only the two of you…I wouldn't have jumped out to say hello either."

Alana gave a nod and continued into the living, grabbing her backpack and heading out to the car. Andrea folded up the map and stuffed it in her back pocket. The two women started carrying the various packs out to the car, placing them in particular spots. The extra gasoline stowed away in the trunk was still there. Alana emptied the tank from the truck and poured the gasoline into the cans.

Andrea made them two bowls of ramen noodles to eat before they left. They sat on the porch and ate. Afterwards, the two walked through the stables and shack one last time. They checked every room in the house, making sure all the windows were closed, curtains drawn; they turned all the lights off. The house keys hung on the wall next to the door. Andrea grabbed them, locking the door as she and Alana walked out.

They drove slowly off and eventually the farm could no longer be seen.

WDWDWDWD

They had reached the cells. Glenn was still holding onto Maggie, trying to keep her standing on her feet. She was doubled over, holding onto her stomach as she fought back the tears and tried to breathe steadily. Glenn kept looking back towards the hall they had come out from. Hershel walked slowly side to side. Dexter and Thomas were quiet, separated from them; both seemed affected by what had just happened, but at the same time had no true concern.

Carl came in and saw them. He was heading for the cafeteria, but heard their running footsteps.

"What happened?" he asked, stepping slowly closer to them, seeing the looks on their faces. "…where's Daryl?"

At the mention of his name Maggie bit back a sob. She had been right there, next to him. And then he was gone, moving away from her. She had wanted to rush forward and grab him, pull him back. But she was scared. Afraid for her own life. He hadn't asked for help, but he needed help. And she had frozen.

"Where are the others?" Hershel asked, coming forward.

Carl pointed back the way he had come. "Everyone's outside. Dad is still in the field."

"Come on," Hershel said to him and to everyone else. He held his arms out, trying to gather them all and usher them outside.

"Where's Daryl?" Carl asked again. Hershel didn't answer him, only placed a hand on his shoulder and guided him away.

Lori, Carol, and Beth turned around when the others came outside. They were sitting in chairs that had been found in the back of the kitchens in the cafeteria. Lori stood up when she saw the pale face of her son.

"What's going on? What happened?" she asked.

Hershel sighed. "Daryl's gone."

Beth began to cry, running over to her sister and clinging to her. Carol remained seated.

"What do you mean?" Carol asked.

Maggie took a deep breath. "We were in the gym and he…he just…he walked right into them. I tried…I tried…" She shook her head. "I couldn't move."

Carol then stood up and began rushing towards the doors. Hershel grabbed her.

"We have to go get him!" she was crying. "We can't just leave him!"

"He's gone," Hershel said calmly. "He's gone."

"We have to tell Rick," Lori said quietly.

Rick and the others had taken the suburban; the walkers were still piled up outside the prison. They had decided to just do digging today and tomorrow to begin moving them into the ditch. Only one of the three fences had been closed. Hershel and Dexter opened it, closing it behind Lori as she drove down the road in the truck.

It felt like forever that they stood there, waiting for Lori to come back with the others. It seemed pointless, but Rick rushed back in the suburban, the tires squealing as he came to a stop outside the prison.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, looking to Glenn and the others. Hershel told him and the rest what had happened, but none seemed able to accept it.

Daryl?

Gone?

It made no sense. And yet…it did make sense. He had rarely spoken to anyone since leaving the farm. No one had said anything about Alana in his presence, not wanting to upset him.

No one had said anything. No one acknowledged that she had even existed, that anyone that didn't make it off the farm had existed. In trying to make things easier, it had all gone to shit.

Rick kept looking over to the prison doors, trying to figure out what to do. What was the right thing to do? Was there a _right_ thing to do?

Axel cleared his throat. "Hope you aren't thinking of going back in there." The words earned him a few disgusted looks. Some of those looks faded when they remembered they hadn't gone back for Alana. Or Andrea. "Walkers just got some fresh meat. All riled up. Open those doors and I bet they'll just be there, waiting for some more."

"He's right," Rick said though he wasn't exactly happy to be in agreement with him. He looked over to T-Dog and Glenn and the other men in their group. "We'll go back in, but not yet. And we'll bury him. We bury our dead," he said, echoing words that Glenn had said once. "There's still daylight left…we should get back to digging." The group raised their heads, unbelieving. So suddenly to move on? But there was no place for argument; they'd done it before, hadn't they? "The rest of you keep an eye out here."

In a trance the men went back to the suburban, driving back down the road. Dexter and Thomas headed back inside. Dexter could be heard muttering something about there likely not being much left to bury of Daryl. The others that had stayed behind glared at his back. Hershel remained outside with Lori and Carl. Carl wasn't crying, he was trying to hold it in. Lori left to bring him back something to eat. Maggie went and sat in her cell with Beth, quietly staring off towards the walls. Glenn sat on the floor in the corner. Carol sat in her cell alone, crying.

WDWDWDWD

The driving was slow and quiet. While the car itself wasn't loud Alana wanted to keep the noise to a minimum. If they had to stop for the night she didn't want a group of walkers creeping up behind them while they slept. And she wasn't keen on turning a corner too quickly only to find it blocked in some way. Andrea kept the map out, a pencil in one of the cup holders. She would occasionally make a mark on the map. They'd pass a road that led off from the highway and she would lightly draw a circle at the intersection, signifying that that road had not been explored and so it was unknown if it led to a deadend or not. There was a car here and there, either parked in the middle of the road or off to the side. The two would stop; one keeping watch while the other looked through the cars, looking for anything they could take. All the tanks were empty of gasoline. The lone walker would appear from time to time. They would stop the car and take care of them. It may have seemed pointless, stopping to kill a stray walker, but again, they were thinking of what could happen if they had to stop for a prolonged amount of time. One less walker was always a good thing.

There were moments when the silence in the car became awkward. Neither really knew what to talk about. Felt like every topic was taboo. Andrea looked around in the car, looking for something to occupy herself with, but she knew there was nothing. She looked over to Alana, then squinted her eyes.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing to her own neck.

Alana grabbed the chain around her neck and held up the wedding band.

"Belonged to Wilhelm." She kept her eyes forward on the road.

"I didn't know he was married," Andrea said absentmindedly.

"Yeah. Yeah, her name was Sabine. Had two little girls. Maria and Samantha. Sabine's mother was British; they were in London when everything started to happen. She didn't want to leave, she was scared. So they stayed. First report of infection started in Spain; wasn't long after that we stopped getting calls from her."

"Wow…it's just so weird, always saw you two as a duo. Never even bothered to ask about your families." Andrea admittedly felt a bit bad about the whole thing.

Alana shrugged. "After all of this…that's how he saw it too. Just me and him." She paused. "There was nothing he could do for them. They were over there and we were here."

"So he focused on you, made sure you were safe."

"Yeah."

They had more small conversations during the drive; they only lasted a few minutes at a time and were then followed by prolonged silence. There was a point, when Andrea was looking at the map, that Alana slowed the car down.

"What's wrong?" Andrea asked, looking outside the car, not seeing anything that would have prompted Alana to stop.

"Steering wheel's pulling to the right," Alana told her, killing the engine and getting out.

Andrea got out as well and the two looked to the front right tire. Alana crouched down, looking from it to the back tire.

"Air's low. Must be a puncture. Or the air valve could be leaking."

Andrea walked to the back, opening the trunk. She pushed aside the gasoline cans and lifted a small latch, pulling up the floor of the trunk.

"There's no spare," she said, letting it fall back down and closing the trunk.

Sunset was still a ways off.

"We'll keep driving long as we can. Sleep in the car," Alana told her. "Hopefully in the morning we won't be too far from the prison."

"Hopefully we'll come across another car with a tire we can steal," Andrea said.

Hope turned out to not be on their side.

The steering wheel kept pulling to the side and soon Alana could even feel the car sagging. The tire finally gave out and the two were forced to stop. Alana looked to her watch. They had an hour before sunset. There were at the bottom of a slight hill; the road went right over it.

"We should go a bit further," Alana suggested. "Get to the top. Might give us a bit of a view of the area."

Andrea agreed.

The two got back into the car and Alana drove slowly, the _flop_ of the tire loud against the road. They cleared the rise in the road and came around a curve.

"Stop!" Andrea said loudly.

The two women stared out ahead of them.

Shane's car.

It was Shane's car.

They got out of the car quickly and ran over towards the car. They looked in, but it was empty. They turned round in circles. Both wanting to call out, but knowing they shouldn't. Andrea began walking towards a crumbled stone building on the side of the road.

Alana just kept staring at Shane's car. She looked back down the road. They had just…it wasn't even that far back that they had driven down the part of the road where they had walked out onto that night. The group…they had been _this_ close to the group. And they didn't even know it. Alana looked through the car again. Maybe they left some sort of message for them? Telling them where they were heading. They couldn't have just broken down and kept moving on…

"They were here," Andrea was saying. "They were here. They were right here! And they…fucking left us!"

Alana began walking over to her. But she stopped. She stared down at the dirt. It felt like her insides were gone, suddenly gone. There, at the side of the road, the prints were so clear. Someone had stood there. You'd have to be blind to not see the marks. She looked out onto the road. Someone had stood there, watching the road. Someone had stood there for a long time, as if they had walked away, only to come back to that very spot over and over.

Daryl.

It had to have been Daryl.

…but why did he just stand there? Why…he just stood there. Why didn't he come looking for her?

…He had given up on her…didn't believe that she could possibly still be alive. So he marked her as dead and carried on. But…but then why would he stand there, as if he was waiting for something…someone?

Andrea kicked at the ashes of the fire the group had lit. "They didn't even look for us!" She could feel the tears on her face. "They were right here." She felt her legs going weak and she braced herself as she sat on the ground. Seeing now, that the group had been there, that they truly hadn't gone back for her or Alana…it felt so different now. Now it was true. It was real. The emotions were real. That bitterness she felt, it was all too real now.

Something caught Alana's attention, in the road. Some sort of spark of shine. She walked towards it. She stared down at a small silver ring. It was strange, she couldn't stop looking at it. Alana bent down and picked it up, the band cold to the touch. In the middle of the road, in the middle of nowhere, what was a ring doing here? She pocketed the ring and stood back up, not fully understanding her own actions. She looked back over to Andrea. She was still on the ground, talking, venting.

Andrea must have gotten lost within herself; next thing she knew, she was staring up at Alana, confused. She had her gun out, aimed at something behind her. Andrea turned around slowly.

A figure stood behind her.

Behind that figure stood two walkers.

**Apologies for the delay; ran into a few bumps in the storyline and had to work them out. This chapter was actually supposed to include more, but had to stop ahead of schedule, the original outline for the chapter ended up feeling too bloated. Surprisingly, there is such a thing as "too much." So I've pushed some things back and they'll be covered in the next chapter; that also means the next chapter will STILL be about Day 3. Lots of stuff happens in this day and it's better for pacing to break it up into a couple of chapters. Good news is I know roughly 90% of what is supposed to happen in the next chapter, so it shouldn't take me more than a day or two to get it written. **

**AngieInWonderland: Hehe yeah I can't wait till they reach the prison. Going to be some nasty words tossed around. **

**Leyshla Gisel: Here's the update! **

**Amaya Dixon: I make no promises hehe**

**SaraLostInes: Haha and yet I keep prolonging the suspense! **

**Mrskaz: Lol beat the stupid off her! I love it! I can't stand her in the show either. I long for the day when they kill her off, she just needs to go. **

**KittyoftheNight: We all want to see them back together! Of course, I can't make it easy for them, now can I? haha**

**Emberka-2012: Indeed I am evil hehe**

**Limaro: welcome to the story! **

**Ambray: Thanks for letting me bounce ideas off your head! **

**Question for everyone!**

**So, when Alana and Andrea finally reach the prison, what are some reactions (from any and everyone) that you'd like to see? **


	37. Chapter 37

**Two words: Be Prepared. **

Rick looked over at the others digging. It didn't feel like they had accomplished much since returning from the prison. Since learning that Daryl…

That was his strongest ally; Rick needed someone he could count on, no matter what, and that had been Daryl. He didn't want to lead this group. All he ever wanted, since all of this had begun, was to find his family. And he had. Now he wanted to protect them. The group had turned to him to lead them, looked to him for answers. Well, he stood up and took charge, but now it seemed that they had begun to doubt him. But if the group wanted him to be a leader, he'd be a leader. They had chosen him and so they had best not question his ability.

Daryl hadn't.

With Shane gone, Daryl was the only ally he had.

And now with Daryl gone…how would he keep the group together?

"That's enough," he said to the others. Everyone had been halfheartedly digging. Even Axel and Andrew, though one could suspect it was because they knew they could get away with it. "Let's head back. That's enough for today."

No one said anything as they shuffled back over to the suburban.

Hershel and Lori saw the men coming back. Hershel went inside to find Glenn.

"He did it because of Alana, didn't he?" Carl said to his mother once Hershel had gone inside. "That's why he killed himself." His voice was bland, even a bit condescending.

Lori couldn't answer him, yet part of her could understand why Daryl had walked right into his own death. But she would never voice that understanding.

Rick and the men arrived back at the prison. There was a thickness of solemnity in the air. Rick got out from the suburban and looked around. There was the baseball field behind the basketball courts. They could bury him there. It didn't seem right, burying him outside the fences, a barrier separating him from them.

Dale and T-Dog followed after Rick as he headed into the prison, not making eye contact with anyone. Hershel and Glenn were waiting for them inside. Everyone stood in place for a moment then Rick spoke up.

"About how many were left inside?" he asked, looking at the ground. Hershel and Glenn tried to think.

"Somewhere around twenty, perhaps," Hershel offered.

"Right," Rick said. "Let's just get in there and…" He pulled out his gun and made sure he had a full round of bullets. The others checked their guns as well.

The men walked away from the cells. Carol still sat in hers, crying. Mostly it was quiet, but when she saw them walk by they became more vocal. Lori had come to check on her earlier, but left; unsure of how to comfort her. Unsure of _if _she should try to comfort her.

Maggie and her sister were in their cell, but Beth couldn't sit still. She couldn't just sit there and wait for them to carry Daryl's body out. Even if they did cover it up. She didn't want to see it. Didn't want to acknowledge that Daryl was dead, just like Alana. She wanted them both to be alive. Beth stood up and walked out of the cell. She didn't want to be there when they brought his body out. Maggie couldn't bear to get up and go after her. She didn't want to acknowledge anything either.

Their steps echoed down the hallway; it filled their heads to the point that they wished the task was over with already. Rick stopped the group when they reached the doors. Everyone stood, waiting. Staring at the doors. They even tried to still their hearts, to rid themselves of any sound that could interfere. They listened for movement within the gym.

Rick came forward and lifted up the chain slowly, not wanting it to bang against the doors. As he undid the lock he said, "Use your guns. Make every bullet count. This needs to be over as quickly as possible." He looked back at the others; they held their guns at their sides. "If he's…make the shot count. We owe him _that _much. Especially after everything he's been through. Daryl wouldn't want to be one of those things."

Glenn stepped up and helped Rick with the chain. With a nod to everyone, he and Rick swung the doors open. Their guns were instantly up, taking aim.

But there was nothing to take aim at.

The walkers were dead.

All of them.

No one could move except Dale. He took shaky steps into the gym, staring down at the bodies, trying to find that familiar face amongst them. He walked with the shotgun held out in front of him, arms and hands rigid. He kicked or poked at the walkers with the gun barrel. The others slowly filed in, their steps just as slow and calculated as his. Rick reached back with the butt of his gun and banged it on the door, looking back into the gym for movement.

It was uncanny; he saw something, just there, in the corner of his eye, that small corner that plays so many tricks on the mind, filling that void of sight with something that doesn't even exist. But that thing in the corner of his eye; the second it appeared Dale turned and rushed towards it, towards the corner of the gym.

There was a weight room, the typical caged walls around it. The inside had been barricaded with equipment. The number of bodies in front of it was immense. Some had gotten through, into the actual weight room, forming a trail towards the back.

It was there that Dale had seen something.

Daryl sat on the floor, back against the wall, his head tilted back. As Dale grasped and rattled the chain-linked door he called out Daryl.

"'Bout fuckin' time ya come back," he said.

WDWDWDWD

Andrea scrambled back towards Alana, away from the stranger.

The woman was hooded, wearing what Andrea could only explain as a rather different take on the _little red riding hood_. The cape was grey and dirtied; the bottom edges caked in dried mud. She had on underneath a vest and jacket, as well as black tights under a short faded red skirt. Her boots were completely caked in mud and dust.

In the one hand she held what Alana guessed to be a katana. On her shoulder was a backpack. But in her other hand was the end of two chains. Attached at the end of both was a walker.

Alana had stopped staring at the woman and was studying the two walkers. Their arms had been cut off at the shoulder and their lower jaws were missing. And the teeth in their upper jaws had been pulled out. Or dug out. There were dog collars around their necks and the chains connected to them. They just stood there, staring at Alana and Andrea. With disinterest.

Alana nodded her head towards them.

"Interesting pets," she said. Andrea had stood and was behind Alana. She had her gun out and was aiming at the woman.

"They're a means to an end," the woman said to Alana, removing her hood.

She was African-American, with thin dreadlocks being pushed back from her face by a bandana. Her face was hard set. She held the katana slightly up from her side, her grip tight.

"And what would that be?" Alana asked.

"Surviving."

Alana nodded slowly, lowering her gun. "What do they do, cover your scent?" The woman nodded. Alana stepped forward towards the walker that stood furthest away from the woman. Its eyes followed her as she came closer. It then took a step closer, staring at her. And then it turned away.

"Are you on your own?"

"Yes."

"So are we," Alana said, turning and looking back at Andrea. Andrea had lowered her gun.

"You shouldn't be so loud out here," the woman said to them in a flat tone.

"Sorry," Andrea said bitterly, "there's been a loss in the family. _Us._"

Alana looked the woman over. Her entire body was at attention, tense; ready to strike out. And yet it looked like she had become accustomed to the tension. In some way she was at ease in the strain. Alana could tell instantly that this woman had been on her own from the beginning. She looked at her hands. She could see the young scars on them, possibly from blisters. This woman hadn't always been this hardened shell.

"We're staying here, for the night. If you want to join us. We have food. I'm Alana. That's Andrea."

The woman stared at the both of them. She looked over to their car and could see the packs. She turned to the other car, Shane's car.

"That your car too?"

"Belonged to someone in our group," Andrea told her. "They're dead."

The woman looked round. "Don't see a body lying around."

"They died back on the farm," Alana told her.

"Was there a fire there? Saw the smoke, started heading this way." Her tone was almost casual and it made Andrea wary.

"Yeah. A herd came through. And we had to leave." Alana looked over to Andrea. "We got left behind."

"Pleasant group you must have," the woman commented.

"Not really," Andrea could be heard muttering.

"Are you going to join us?" Alana asked again.

The woman looked around. There was a scrawny tree near the road. She led the two walkers over towards it and wrapped the chains around the trunk. Alana carried out the pack of food and dropped it down in front of what had been the group's fire. She must have been starving, but the woman ate slowly, always looking up to Alana and Andrea.

"What's your name?" Andrea asked, as she stood closer to the road, keeping watch. She had her gun back out.

"Michonne."

Andrea looked to her right where the walkers had been chained to the tree. They weren't even looking at her; their heads down, swaying slightly. "Where'd you get those two?"

"Had them since this all started."

"Mustn't have been easy to get those chains on them," Alana commented.

"Pretty easy actually. Snuck up behind Mike and knocked Terry off his feet. Got the sword from a neighbor's house."

Andrea turned and looked over to Michonne. Alana was staring as well. Both women had quickly become worried of their guest.

"You named them?" Alana asked.

Michonne shook her head. "Guess their mothers did. Mike was my boyfriend. Terry was a friend of his." She finished an energy bar Alana had given her and looked back towards Shane's car. "What are you two trying to do, catch up with your group?"

"No," Alana said. "We're heading to a prison. Saw it on a map."

"Which way is it?" Michonne asked. Alana pointed the way and Michonne shook her head. "Already been that way, didn't see anything."

"Did you have a map?" Andrea questioned. Michonne shook her head. "Well it's there."

Alana interjected. Last thing she wanted was for either of them to appear hostile towards this woman with a sword at her side. And two walkers. If she was capable of mutilating the body of her boyfriend-turned-walker it was safe to say she was capable of just about anything.

"There's a few backroads you have to take to reach it. According to the map it's literally in the middle of nowhere. Looks like it's surrounded by empty land all around." Alana looked back towards Andrea then swiveled back to look at Michonne. Wilhelm wasn't here. He wouldn't be making any more plans. And the last plan he had made, Daryl, had fallen through. It was up to her now. She had to make plans for herself.

Michonne was quiet for a moment. She was digging through her pack; she pulled out a whetstone. "If this prison isn't a complete loss, and I help you two get in there, what's in it for me?"

Alana almost couldn't believe it; neither could Andrea, though both women were thinking different things. Andrea couldn't believe that Michonne, this woman they just met, was asking for…_favors_. She scratches their backs and they scratch hers. But Alana, she couldn't believe her luck. She was trying to make a plan; to manipulate Michonne, use her strength, and here the plan was carrying itself out with no help needed from her. Had it ever been this easy for Wilhelm?

"If no one has gotten there yet, that prison is filled with food. And beds. Probably has at least two fences around it, guard towers, riot gear, weapons. Everything. Help us and you can eat all the food you want, sleep in every bed, take whatever weapons you want. I don't fucking care. Just help us get in there."

"Walker!" Andrea whispered, backing up towards the other two women.

It had appeared from the other side of the road, still making its way through the woods, but the trees were spread out thin enough that Andrea spotted it quickly. Alana looked over towards their car, to the packs inside. She then looked down the road. It wasn't much further to the prison. If they didn't want to go on foot they'd have to go in Shane's car. And that would mean losing Michonne's _friends. _The car could become stuck; it was limited to the roads. But on foot they could go anywhere they wanted; only way they could get stuck was if they were stupid enough to trap themselves in a corner.

Alana grabbed her machete and started marching towards the walker. Andrea hissed at her, asking what she was doing. But Alana didn't listen. The walker was a male. A teen perhaps. He had been wearing a Blue Lantern shirt when he was bitten on his left side. The walker growled at Alana and began moving just a bit faster, its footsteps messy. Alana's brow was slightly scrunched as she got closer, her eyes hard. She raised the machete and hacked at the walker's right arm. It went through meat and bone, lodging in the walker's side. Alana kicked at it, releasing the machete and sending the walker crashing to the road. She kicked it again, pushing it onto its belly; her boot pushed its head down as she cut the other arm off. It tried to get up, but couldn't. With its head turned to the side, its left cheek against the road, Alana bent over and started stabbing at its face. In all her frenzy movements she kept her breath even and slow. When she had finally separated the jaw she stood up and headed to the car, pulling out a spool of rope from one of the packs. She cut off the amount she desired and tied one end around the walker's neck, dragging it behind her. As she tied it up to the tree where the other two walkers were at she looked over to Andrea.

"I want one of my own. You can have the next one."

WDWDWDWD

The men worked quickly to open the way into the weight room and get to Daryl.

"Are you hurt? Are you alright?" Dale was asking him; he stood outside the room as Rick and T-Dog pulled him out. Their eyes were swimming all over him, trying to see if he had been bitten. But they should have all known better. He'd have killed himself if he had been bitten. Even with no bullets, he'd sure as hell would have found a way.

The breath was knocked out of him as Glenn crashed into him, hugging him. "You're alive man! We thought you were gone!" Daryl shoved him off. The others laughed; half relieved and half exhausted. This was just all too much to take in, and all in one day.

"Come on," Rick said, "let's get you out of here." He tried to offer his help, but Daryl shrugged him off. It looked as if Rick had wanted to say something, but he didn't. He walked behind Daryl, looking at him with concern.

He had knocked his foot pretty bad against one of the workout machines when he had dodged in there; he walked favoring it. He could feel the grime that covered him.

Glenn ran ahead of them, like a fucking little kid. Daryl shook his head. He could hear him yelling out at the others. "Daryl's alive! Guys! He's alive! He's okay!"

He was ambushed by the rest of the group as they made out to the opening where the cells were. He didn't even look at any of them. Rick was still behind him. He looked over at the others, raising a hand slightly, holding everyone off from approaching Daryl as he kept moving forward, towards the stairs. He could hear the others asking what had happened.

"He killed them all," Dale whispered.

"Barricaded himself," Hershel said.

"Goddamn miracle," added Axel.

"I have to tell Beth," said Maggie excited with relief.

"I want to tell her too!" Carl said.

Daryl headed to his cell where he began washing his hands in the sink. Stupid really; he'd need a shower.

Carol stood at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the railing. She was going to go up there. Rick pulled her back.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

She looked to the cells. "You can't just leave him like that."

"I'm not," Rick said, stepping in front of her and heading up the stairs.

He came and stood inside the cell with Daryl.

"What happened in there?" he asked him quietly, looking back out.

"Shit ton of walkers in there, guess I got separated," Daryl muttered.

"Bullshit," Rick hissed at him. "You fucking walked right into them. What the hell were you thinking?" He sighed. "I'm sorry about Alana. I am. But trying to get yourself killed isn't going to bring her back."

Daryl turned around and stared hard at Rick, approaching him. "We done here yet?"

Rick shook head. "Yeah, we're done."

Daryl exited his cell moments after, almost running into Carol who had made her way up the stairs. She had a relieved smile on her face though it was still meek. "What the hell ya want?" he asked her with no kindness.

She held out a handful of clothing. It was from the laundry room. Looked like the prisoners had worn jeans and dark blue button up shirts. "Lori and me were going through them." Daryl huffed and took the pile of clothes from her. Her smile remained though he never returned it, only pushed past her.

What kind of sick joke was this? He had come out. Alive. Had come back from the fucking dead, when he thought about it. He sighed as he walked down the halls to the showers. He hadn't wanted to come back and yet he did. Hadn't even been suicidal, he just had no issue with _not _leaving that gym.

Suppose it wasn't his turn yet.

An emptiness invaded him then. And it was…peaceful. He had died in that gym. And he had come back. But not the part that held a connection to Alana. He'd left it behind. The others had the right of it, to just move on, breeze over the fact that Alana and the others were dead. Was easier that way. People died, get over it. Move on. Keep surviving.

Daryl turned the corner. He was almost to the showers.

He heard something like a choked sob, someone falling to the floor. What the fuck was going on?

Turning another corner, going past the showers, he saw two figures, huddled up on the floor. He came to the end of the hall and saw Maggie being supported poorly by Carl. Both were crying, trying feebly to scoot away from the doorway they were in front of.

"What the…" Daryl began to say, but stopped as he came up behind them and looked inside the barbershop room.

The floor was white. For the most part. Red covered the rest. Even had made its way onto the barber chairs and walls. Ceiling too. Such a tiny thing and yet so much red.

Beth's pretty little head rested in a pool of glinting blood. Body slumped over in one of the chairs. Hands still gripping tightly at the armrests.

Daryl should have known.

Things don't get better when you come back from the dead.

**Bam! **

**How'd you like that? **

**Next up, finding the killer! **

**How are we liking Michonne? Tough gal, isn't she? And looks like Alana is stepping up and making the plans now. In the next chapter we'll see Andrea's reactions to this 'plan.' **

**Hopefully I'll get the next chapter written and up in the next couple of days. Maybe by Tuesday night? Or Wednesday. If you're really lucky, I'll get to writing it right now and finish sooner! Oh one could only hope for that. And I promise, soon, soon Alana and Andrea (and Michonne) will reach the prison. Might be next chapter, might not. Just depends on how carried away I get with the prison half of the story. **


	38. Chapter 38

**Behold! The next chapter! **

"Carl? Carl, where are you?"

Lori was coming down the hall, repeating the same words she always seemed to be saying. Daryl was frozen to the spot, behind Maggie and Carl. He couldn't even look away. Lori slowed down as she came closer to them.

"Guys? What's wrong?"

The words didn't have to be asked. She knew something was wrong. And the way Maggie cried…she knew. She just knew what was in there. Lori took the final steps towards them and reached out for Carl.

"Carl, honey, look away. Come on," she said, pulling him towards her and away from the room. He buried his face in her side. She could see inside the room; she did her best to not lose the contents of her stomach. The odor was so strong; a sharp metallic scent that dizzied the head.

Daryl bent down and tried to pick Maggie up, but she pushed him away. He could hear Lori leading Carl away.

There was a sickening sound. Like someone choking on water, followed by a gasp, then a growl. He couldn't see her eyes, but Daryl knew it was Beth. Head might have been severed, but it hadn't been destroyed. Maggie began to cry louder, gasping for air.

"What happened?" Lori called out uneasily from down the hall.

"Bring me a gun!" Daryl told her.

"What…why?"

"Just fuckin' do it!"

Lori went off with Carl quickly, realizing what must have just happened. Daryl managed to pull Maggie away from the doorway, leaning her against the wall. She held her knees to her chest. The noises continued and she covered her ears, crying out louder, trying to block everything out. It felt so suddenly that the footsteps came echoing down the hall. Lori turned quickly and came running up to him. She stopped and looked into the room, holding a hand up to her mouth and gagging. She held the gun out to Daryl. There were more footsteps behind them.

"Hurry," she said, trying to hold back a gag. "It's Hershel." She then bent down towards Maggie.

Daryl nodded. They couldn't let Hershel see Beth like that. He took a few steps into the room and aimed. He was thankful that her eyes were not facing him.

Hershel, along with Rick, Dale and Glenn, stopped at the end of the hall when the gun went off. Hershel began moving again first, pushing his way through the others. Maggie looked up and saw him. She began shaking her head, trying to stand up. She held her hands out to Hershel, trying to stop him.

"Daddy, daddy please," she said when he reached her. She stood up and tried to stand in his way, to keep him from seeing what had been done to Beth.

Daryl felt completely awkward and actually scared. He looked up at Hershel. He didn't know if he should stand in Hershel's way, try to stop him, or to step out of the way. The conflicting choices could be seen on his face and the way he stood, looking half like he was about to move out of the way. He couldn't look back at Hershel, not for more than a few seconds. That face of his, it was the same as when they had killed the walkers in the barn. When he watched the group gun down members of his family. It was like everything good in the world had been snuffed out.

Funny, that's exactly how Daryl felt.

He wanted to keep Hershel from going in there, but his body moved on its own, allowing Hershel past.

His legs gave out beneath him and Maggie crumbled back down to the floor with him. The others that had gathered stood halfway down the hall, giving the two their space. Daryl hung his head and moved away from them. He looked up and saw Rick ushering him away from the others. He pulled him down the hall and spoke lowly.

"What happened in there?" Rick had only heard what Lori told him and all she had said was that Beth was dead. She then took off running with his gun, telling Carl to stay with Carol.

Daryl kept his head down. "Someone cut her head off," he said with no emotion. That entire room, he couldn't get that image out of his head. Rick's eyes went wide. "They found her, Maggie and Carl."

Rick was slow in asking, "Why did you need the gun?"

Daryl shook his head. "She started making noises, her head." He looked down the hall they had turned down. "He didn't need to see that," he said in regards to Hershel.

"Rick!" It was Carol. She had Carl with her.

"What?"

"It's Lori," she said a bit breathless.

Dale was coming back from the hall; Glenn must have stayed behind with Maggie and Hershel. Together they followed after Carol back to the cells. At this point, none of them knew what to expect. None of them had even seen inside that room aside from Daryl and Carl. He looked to the young boy; if he was any worse Rick would have had to move his legs for him. He heard voices then, they were getting louder. And angrier. The group turned to see Lori holding up a gun, facing one of the cells. Axel, Andrew, and Thomas were standing off to the side, eyes wide and just a bit scared. Axel even had his hands up in the air.

"You a crazy fucking bitch, you know that?" Dexter was shouting at her from inside his cell.

Lori looked quickly over at Rick, bringing her eyes back onto Dexter inside the cell. "He did it, he did it Rick!"

The door to the cell had been slid shut though it did not lock. Dexter stood in the middle of the cell staring daggers at Lori. A vein on the side of his head was bulging. "Did what? What the hell you think I do?" Lori cocked the gun. "You gonna just let your wife do this shit?" Dexter asked Rick who had inched closer to Lori. He had his back to Dexter.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked her in a hushed tone.

On instinct the other others had tightened the grips on their weapons, staring over at the other inmates. Carol held on to Carl, standing behind Daryl.

Lori didn't take her eyes off of Dexter. "He did it. He killed her. You know he's _capable _of it. We can't just let him wander round." Rick sighed and it irritated her. "You want him around Carl? Do you?" Rick eyed her, half in anger, half defeat.

"Daryl, bring me that chain from the gym," he said.

"Shit man," Dexter said. "You as fucking crazy as your psycho wife."

Rick spun and looked at him. "Just shut up," he said, pointing at Dexter. Rick looked over at the other inmates.

Daryl went and returned with the chain and lock. He stood back and watched as Rick locked Dexter in his cell.

The rest of that night was a blur to him. For a while he just sat in his cell, listening to the others. Maggie, Hershel, and Glenn had eventually come back to their cells. They sat together for a while. Glenn then took a bed sheet and went back to the barber's room. His face was ashen and he didn't say anything. T-Dog and Rick went with him. Dale stayed with Hershel and Maggie. He had brought a chair into the cell and sat in it. He didn't say anything to them. Just felt that someone needed to be there with them. Feeling like he needed to go, Daryl caught up with the others and helped them with Beth's body. She was wrapped in the sheet and laid inside one of the office rooms. Rick said they would bury her the next day. T-Dog had gone and gotten cleaning supplies from a room next to the laundry room. He brought mops and buckets and more sheets. The work felt like it had earlier that day, when they believed Daryl was dead. But now it just felt worse.

"What are we gonna do about this?" T-Dog asked. "We can't just let him stay here."

Rick hung his head, thinking. What was he supposed to do?

"We'll talk with Hershel tomorrow. Beth was his family. He should…be the one to decide what happens to Dexter."

"Thought this place was supposed to be safe," Glenn lamented.

Rick had nothing to say to that. No one else did either.

There really was no dinner that night. Everyone just wandered into the cafeteria on their own and ate what they could find, if they had the stomach to eat at all. When Daryl had gone in there he saw that Carol had set up some food for everyone; leaving things out on the tables so they wouldn't have to go looking through the shelves. She sat in there with Dale, talking quietly.

Eventually Daryl got around to taking that shower. He had to use a lantern that had been brought in the suburban. And a gun. Even with Dexter locked up in his cell, Daryl didn't trust the others.

When he got back to his cell he got ready to go to sleep. He didn't have a watch for the night. Still, might as well have had one. He didn't think he'd sleep well that night.

WDWDWDWD

It was almost fully dark. Michonne was perched up on the half crumbled stonewall of whatever building had been there on the side of the road. Andrea and Alana had brought all the packs from the car out and set them around the ashes from the fire. Alana had told her and Michonne the plan for the next day.

They would continue on foot, using the three walkers to hopefully slip past any walkers they came across. There hadn't been any other walkers that came by after Alana had attacked that one with the Blue Lantern shirt. At first it had fought against the rope around its neck, trying to pull away from the tree, but it quickly stopped. It was like seeing the other two there with it made it calm down, realize it was pointless.

Alana had showed Michonne the map they had. She voiced that she didn't care for backroads; they were too small. Not wanting to lose Michonne, Alana agreed that they would cut through the woods. Michonne had added that she had been walking through the woods for a while; had a decent understanding of the area. Of course, she wasn't aware of the prison, Andrea thought, but she said nothing. Alana must have been planning something; hopefully she'd let her in on it soon. The packs would be split between the three of them. It would be a heavy load for each of them. Andrea had piped up then and suggested tying at least the light packs to the walkers. It wasn't like they were going to be complaining about it. She had a rather valid point and so the small packs were looped over the necks of the walkers. She was right; didn't look like they had any complaints.

With Michonne up on the wall, Alana and Andrea sat around the packs and ashes from the fire the group had made whenever they passed through the group. Andrea tried to casually look up towards Michonne. The woman had her back to them, staring out towards the woods. They hadn't lit a fire; it was cold. Only Alana's legs ached from the cold. She could feel it worse in her right knee. Andrea was too busy thinking over Michonne to be bothered by the cold.

"You sure about this?" she asked Alana as quietly as possible, her words even difficult for her to hear. She looked back up at Michonne; still looking out towards the woods.

"We need her," Alana told Andrea. "She's a means to an end." Alana looked up to Michonne. "And we're the same to her."

"And what if she…tries something?"

"You trust me on this?" She sounded like Wilhelm. How many times had he asked her that? And every single time she had said yes.

Andrea nodded after a moment.

Who else was there to trust?

"Get some sleep, we have an early start tomorrow," Alana told her. She stood up and headed over towards the road. To keep watch. Moon was still out and it supplied her with enough light to see without needing the night vision goggles. She stopped at the spot where someone from the group had stood. The prints were still clear. Alana stared at them. It felt weird, standing there. She thought, perhaps she felt this way, because she was wishing that it had been Daryl who stood there, watching. Waiting for her. But even if it had been him, Alana reminded herself that it meant all he had done was stand there. Didn't come back looking for her. Didn't leave any sort of message behind like they had for Sophia. Shane's car, that didn't count as anything. Group had left it behind because it had no fuel in it. She shoved her hands in her pockets. The ring was there.

It was a stupid little thing. It was stupid of her to have even picked it up. But like in all things stupid, one never knew the reasons behind them. She pulled the chain with Wilhelm's band on it out from underneath her jacket and undid the clasp. She slid the ring from her pocket onto it. She wanted to believe it had been tossed out on the road by some random soul running away. That someone had tossed it away, not wanting to be reminded by it of someone. It was the wise thing to believe. But it came with a downside. It reminded her of Daryl. She'd spare no moment in wondering how he would have even come to possess the ring. She smiled slightly; here she was, assuming Daryl had been the one that tossed the ring away. The smile faded. Alana was reminded once more that the ring had been _tossed away_. Whoever had done it, this was their way of letting go.

The remnants of Daryl in her mind began to sour.

And yet she still kept the ring.

WDWDWDWD

The morning was quiet. As people headed into the cafeteria to eat, they all had to suffer Dexter's glare. Everything about his demeanor was relaxed, but his eyes were strained and followed each person as they passed by.

Hershel and Maggie sat at a table by themselves. Only Glenn joined them and that was because Maggie had nodded her head when he paused at their table. No one had really said anything to them yet. It was difficult, saying that they were sorry for their loss. There had been a lot of losses lately. Rick hadn't spoken with Hershel yet, about what they would do with Dexter. He still believed that Hershel should be the one to decide what they did with him. All Rick knew, if it had been Carl, he'd have shot Dexter right on the spot. He'd have to talk with Hershel after the burial. He had quickly discussed it with Dale and the two men agreed it would be best to bury her at the edge of the field. Where they had thought of burying Daryl, when they all believed he was dead.

Daryl sat towards the back of the cafeteria, watching everyone else from time to time. Dale had once again come and sat with him. Though at least today he didn't try to make any sort of small talk with him. No one seemed in the mood for small talk. Felt like just when they were beginning to find a semblance of normalcy something would go wrong. The camp outside of Atlanta, the CDC, the farm, and now the prison too. It was just like Daryl had thought. He was sure the others were looking to Rick again, seeing the same pattern. Likely finding some way to put this all on him. Bunch of idiots; they were the ones who kept following him. Always bickering, but yelping for help the moment Rick tried to step back.

The men headed outside and began digging the grave for Beth while the others waited inside. They had stopped for a moment when they saw Axel coming up behind them; he had a shovel in his hands. He kept his head down as he approached them, then looked round the field, his eyes finally looking quickly to Rick and the others.

"She was a pretty girl," he said gruffly. "Shame."

The men supposed that was about the kindest thing the inmate could possibly say; it was still inappropriately worded, but they didn't exactly expect a Shakespearean eulogy from Axel.

When the grave was ready the rest of the group came out, except of course Dexter. And Andrew. The young man seemed attached to him.

It was awkward, carrying Beth's body. Glenn had wrapped the body up in more sheets; the blood had soaked through. It just kept soaking through. Along with T-Dog and Rick, he carried her body to the grave and lowered her in.

The group stood there, waiting for Hershel to say something. No one else really knew what to say. None believed it was their place to say anything. Finally Rick spoke up, but seconds after finishing, none of them could recall what he had said. How many times had they gone through this before? How many had they buried?

They began to leave, heading back to the prison, while Glenn came forward and began burying Beth. Hershel and Maggie stood back and watched. After a few moments Maggie left, not wanting to be there anymore. She wanted to forget it all; she had to keep herself busy. Hershel grabbed a shovel and helped Glenn. Daryl was the last to leave them, having stood back as the others left. He hadn't been given the chance to bury Alana. Didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her. He had tried. That night on the road, when he kept waiting for her to show up. The first night at the prison. Every single day that passed he had tried to move on.

But the mourning, it never seemed to stop. Everything he tried didn't work. He was always left feeling like the ocean was still swallowing him up.

Everyone fell into autopilot for the rest of the morning. Carol and Lori were going through the clothing. It would be nice to have _new_ clothes to wear. Even if it was prison garments. At least it wasn't orange jumpsuits. As far as bottoms went, the only choice was jeans. But for tops there were undershirts, button up shirts, and pullover sweatshirts. It was a lot more than they had. While Carol and Lori sorted through it all some of the men were in the gym, clearing it out. It would be another day of digging that mass grave for them walkers. Rick made the plan to first get all the walkers out of the prison. He didn't want to send part of the group out to dig.

Rick had pulled Hershel aside and spoke with him. Or he tried to speak with him. He hadn't said much to Rick. When asked what he wanted done with Dexter, Hershel's eyes became hard and he looked over down the cells. Rick ended up telling him that when he was ready to decide what to do with Dexter to come to him.

Somehow, Rick had a feeling that Hershel was going to want blood.

And he couldn't stop himself from agreeing.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl had retrieved the bolts from the walkers he had taken down in the gym. Rick had headed to the garage with T-Dog and brought back two pushcarts to load the walkers into; make moving them easier. With only the two the others took a step back while Rick and T-Dog transported the walkers. Axel took the chance to sneak off to the cafeteria. Far as he was concerned, his job there was done. He'd helped out. Made nice with the group. He deserved a break. Besides, he was too fucking old to be doing all this heavy work. Glenn and Dale helped load the walkers into the carts while Daryl headed back off to his cell. He needed to clean those bolts.

Carol was with Lori and Carl still, sitting outside, away from the pile of walkers, going through the clothing. There was much more light outside and the sun added some warmth. They were separating everything into different piles according to sizing. In order to give her something to do, Lori had asked Maggie if she would check if the washers and dryers worked.

"What's taking her so long?" Carol asked after some time had passed.

Daryl had seen her head off down the hall; didn't have a clue where she was going. Didn't think it was his place to ask or to follow her.

Until he heard her screaming.

Could they just please have one day where nothing happened?

Daryl instantly grabbed his gun and began running down the row of cells to get down the stairs. He kept looking back, to see if Maggie was in sight. At the start of the stairs he looked again and saw her, wild eyed, running. There was blood on her face and one of her hands. He called out to her and her head snapped up.

"He did it! It's him!" she yelled, looking back but not stopping her run.

Daryl looked behind her and saw Thomas, a predatory look on his face. He had a blood covered knife in hand. Daryl took aim and shot him in the leg. He cried out and toppled to the floor. Maggie ran to the bottom of the stairs and clung to the railing. Daryl met her at the bottom and pushed her behind him, keeping his gun trained on Thomas. The man was actually _trying_ to get back up. It was like he couldn't stop. All he saw was Maggie. He looked right through Daryl to her.

"Told you motherfuckers I didn't kill that girl," they heard come from Dexter's cell, his voice full of contempt. "Shit, knew that cracker was lying 'bout that tax fraud."

Daryl ignored him.

The others filtered in, hearing Maggie's screams and the firing of Daryl's gun. Rick came running in and saw the scene before him. Maggie began screaming again, saying that it was Thomas, he had been the one to kill Beth. And he had attacked her in the laundry room. She had a thin line of blood forming across her chest where he had tried to slash at her. Thankfully she was able to move out of the way. And had managed to land a blow to his face where she busted open her knuckles. He had then tackled her, smacking her head on the floor, but she kicked and kicked until she was able to get away from him and started running.

Rick was trying to figure out what to do. Shit…Dexter. They'd lock Dexter up. _He'd_ locked Dexter up.

Hershel was walking over to Maggie, reaching out for her. All the while his eyes were on Thomas. The man had the brains enough now to stay down on the floor and not try to move. But his eyes. The bloodlust was still there. Daryl had the gun still trained on him.

"Get that chain off," Rick then said, pointing to Dexter's cell. Daryl gave himself a mental shake and looked over to Dexter's cell. It was just in front of him, to the left.

That was all it took. Just that short, short moment of distraction.

Maggie lunged forward and grabbed the gun from his hand and the shots rang out.

She emptied all the rounds and not one of them missed their target.

There was silence.

Maggie turned around and limply handed the gun back to Daryl. She walked past Thomas's body and went into her cell. Hershel followed.

And Rick stood there, not knowing what to do.

It was Axel who broke the silence.

"Maybe somebody should put one in his head. Just saying."

It was then that Rick came forward and shot once at Thomas' head.

Another body to add to the pile.

He walked over to Dexter's cell and unlocked it.

The large man said nothing as he shoved past Rick and headed for the cafeteria. Andrew was quick behind him on his heels, glancing back at the group and at Thomas' body.

Quietly Rick said, "We need to get those bodies outside taken care of." He kept his eyes on Thomas.

It felt like everyone was moving together. No one wanting to be left alone. Even Daryl found himself following after Rick. He helped him carry Thomas out and dump him onto the pile. It felt strange that they were going about things, but what else was there for them to do? Just sit around? At least if they kept moving it allowed for less time to think about everything.

Lori brought Carl back outside to where the clothing was, around the side of the prison, out of sight of the pile of walkers. Carol rejoined them.

Rick and the other men were standing about, trying to figure out what to do about the pile of walkers. Do it now? Wait till tomorrow?

Glenn had been inside with Maggie and Hershel. He came out to see what the others were planning to do with the walkers. He felt out of place in there with Maggie and her father. Though Hershel had made the effort to make him feel like part of the family, truth was he wasn't. He didn't have the history with them. He could only relate so much to them.

Glenn stopped and looked around at the group.

"Guys…where's Dexter?"

"He went to the cafeteria," Dale said, though he sounded unsure.

"Rick!"

Lori, Carol, and Carl came running from the side of the prison.

Not far behind them were Dexter and Andrew, fully armed with guns.

The men raised their weapons, but Dexter aimed his shotgun on Rick.

"Drop your fucking guns or I'll blow your brains all over your faggot son and bitch wife," Dexter snarled. "Gonna make this all real simple for you. We were here first and you've worn out your welcome. Now, get the fuck out of my house."

Rick began to tell Lori to get Carl inside, that he was going to try and talk some sense into Dexter, but he and Andrew stopped them.

"Ain't no one moving unless it's towards those gates."

Axel stepped forward.

"You ain't gotta do this man," he said, his hands held up. He had come out with the men to help with the walkers. "Don't have to go down like this. They're good people man. Come on, man, killed your own girlfriend, we all had the right to suspect you."

"Ex-girlfriend," Dexter corrected him. "You wanna side with them? Your ass can leave with them then. Now get the fuck out of here. Pack your shit up and leave."

Dexter saw Dale step forward and quickly trained his gun on him. "Don't fucking move old man."

Dale held his hands up, trying to find his voice and to remain calm. "Where did you get those guns?" he asked.

"Why the hell do you care?"

Rick realized what Dale was really asking. "Where did you get those guns?" he asked as well.

"The armory," Dexter told him with a sneer. "Yeah, I left that out of the tour, over in A-block."

"That's what I thought," Rick said.

"What the fuck you mean?" Dexter asked. And then that all too familiar noise could be heard. "Motherfucker," Dexter said under his breath.

Rick turned round and yelled to Lori to get inside C-block and lock the doors. "Get Hershel out here!" Carol followed after them. "Everyone else, make your shots count!"

"Don't fucking move!" Dexter said to Rick when he started to move.

"You want to shoot me? Or them?" he asked, pointing to the few walkers that had already made it round the building. "Pick a side, dumbass." Rick turned to Daryl. "Get inside and get all the weapons you can find and get back out here!"

Daryl returned with the weapons and the firing had already begun. He heard Axel yelling something over at him.

"Give me one of those! I ain't gonna be scaring these things away with my dick!"

Daryl tossed him a shotgun.

Rick was shouting to everyone to spread out, to not let themselves get surrounded. Daryl stood beside him, taking aim at every walker that came towards him. He heard Hershel yelling over the gunfire, asking what the hell had happened. He was quickly informed about the _dumbasses _who opened up A-block.

"Jesus, how many are there?" Dale was asking.

Daryl looked over to Rick, then past him. Dexter was next to him. There was a walker making ground towards him. Daryl just wanted to stand there and watch the walker get him. But then Rick turned and shot the walker. Dexter turned to see it falling and looked to Rick.

"Don't change a fucking thing," he told Rick.

He went back to firing off rounds.

He never saw Rick swing his gun arm back in his direction, sending a bullet straight through that stupid snake and skull tattoo on his head.

Daryl saw it all.

Felt like only a couple of minutes went by and the gunfire stopped.

Everyone stood looking at the field of walkers around them. Rick vaguely heard someone say that Dexter had been shot.

"Must have caught a stray bullet," he muttered with no care.

Rick sighed and looked around, his eyes falling on Andrew.

The young man began to shake. Without Dexter he was helpless now. The look in his eyes, it made Rick think that he had actually seen him shoot Dexter. He didn't care. Rick drew his gun on him.

He had to do something. Reestablish some sort of order.

"Axel, take those guns off him," Rick said. "Daryl, T-Dog, get those gates open."

The gates were opened and the men watched as Rick shoved Andrew out. He turned his back on him, not bothering to listen to Andrew ask what he was supposed to do, that he would die out there. Judging by the looks everyone gave him, none of them cared if he died. They probably even preferred it.

The three gates were closed. By that time Andrew had already run off. He tried running along the fencing, maybe he thought he could climb them. T-Dog shot off a round in the air and he stopped, heading for the fields then. After that no one bothered to watch where he was heading.

"I need three people with loaded guns to walk the grounds, make sure there aren't anymore," Rick told the men. Those three were Daryl, T-Dog, and Glenn.

They approached A-block with caution.

Wasn't even 2PM yet and already Daryl was wishing the day was over.

WDWDWDWD

Alana had gone over the plan again with Andrea and Michonne in the early morning. They weren't sure how long it would take for them to reach the prison, but the three of them agreed that they would come up behind the prison.

"If there's anyone there, we may not want them to see us," Alana had told them. They agreed. Alana looked down on the map, looking over the route they'd have to take. The land was far from flat, except for the prison. "We probably won't make it there till after dark. So…do we stop halfway or keep going?"

Michonne quickly had her decision. "Keep moving. You got those night visions, right? We use those to see if anyone is there. We'll be able to see them, but they won't see us."

There wasn't much left to the plan except to start walking. After a small breakfast of protein shakes, courtesy of Alana, the three women began walking. They headed in the direction Michonne had come from, following the map and using the compass on Alana's watch. They remained quiet for the most part. Michonne hadn't had anyone with her since this whole thing had started. Alana was busy keeping any eye on the compass and pulling her walker along behind her. Putting the extra packs on them had actually worked out. Made the load on the women just a bit easier. Their pace was slow, because of the walkers, but the downside proved worth it when they came across a walker eating what looked to be the remains of a raccoon. They passed by it slowly, Michonne closest to the walker. It jerked its head up when it heard them, turning it to the side, like a bird. A rather slow bird. It looked like it was trying to sniff the air, sniff them. And then it went back to eating the raccoon.

Nevertheless Michonne stepped back towards the walker, cutting its head off.

WDWDWDWD

They had heard gunfire off in the distance. The women stopped, listening to it until it ended. Andrea turned to Alana.

"From the prison?" she asked her.

"Possibly. Keep moving. Nothing we can do about from here."

WDWDWDWD

"So what did you do, before all this?" Andrea asked Michonne. They had been walking for quite some time in relative silence. Alana was really the only one who would speak up; to tell the others they needed to alter their direction to keep with the route they had planned out.

Andrea was still unsure of Michonne, if only because they knew so little about her.

"I had a job, boyfriend, ex-husband, two girls, house, car. Now it's all gone," Michonne said with little character in her voice.

Andrea didn't ask anything else. Michonne didn't seem very talkative, regardless of whether or not they were currently trying to trek through the woods without drawing attention.

The trio finally stopped past midday to have a break and to eat. Checking the map, Alana saw they were about half mile from the roads. As long as they hadn't wandered too far off. She was more than certain that they hadn't. She had kept staring at that map and compass; they were on track.

"So, this group of yours," Michonne said. "What happened with them?" She didn't exactly sound like she cared, but she still asked. Woman probably missed talking to actual people; been on her own this whole time, with only two walkers to talk to. Those conversations must have gotten dull quickly.

Alana held a breath in, not sure which one of them should start talking. If Andrea did, Alana doubted she'd paint a nice picture of the group. She began speaking first, keeping an eye on Andrea.

"We were on a farm," she said. "There were…seventeen of us…we lost four."

"And Sophia," Andrea added.

"…and Sophia. We lost five. A herd came through. So we had to leave."

"And you two got left behind? Doesn't sound like much of a group to me," Michonne commented. "No one coming back to look for you."

Alana shifted. "It's a touchy subject. We…both tried to help another group member."

"And she repays us by running off," Andrea said, biting every word with bitterness. She shook her head. "I swear, if I _ever_ see Carol again, I'm…I'm going to beat the shit out of her."

Michonne looked between the two of them. She was realizing just how much pent up anger they were holding in. It appeared that Alana was doing a better job at it; at keeping it from overpowering her.

Alana took a sip from her water bottle.

"We should keep moving," she said.

The three women returned to being quiet as they grabbed their packs and continued walking.

They had only been walking for an hour when the three women instantly stopped in their tracks.

Something was coming towards them. And fast.

Alana and Andrea had their guns ready; Michonne held up her sword.

It couldn't be a walker; it was moving much too fast.

They could hear what sounded like someone whimpering.

Alana stared over at Andrea, confused.

Michonne jerked her head to the left. She had seen something. The three stood closer together, all holding their breaths in.

A young man came into view. He looked frantic. He looked as if he had taken a number of falls in the woods. Soon as he spotted them he stopped in his tracks. Then he began coming towards them. The women lifted their weapons.

"You gotta help me! You gotta help me, they're crazy. They kicked me out man!" His words turned to nonsense. He was so out of it, the women didn't believe he even took notice of the walkers they had beside them on the chains and rope. He grabbed onto Andrea, pulling at her jacket's collar. She tried to push him off. Alana held up her gun, trying to get a clear shot, but he wouldn't stop moving about, pulling every which way at Andrea. She dropped her gun as she tried to get him off her.

"Calm the fuck down!" Andrea barked at him. She pushed him far enough back that she was able to kick at him.

He didn't take that very well.

Andrea suddenly felt him jumping on her, clawing at her. And then she felt something cold slice across her face, followed by a wetness.

The little bastard had pulled a knife on her and cut open her cheek. She held a hand up to cup the side of her face. She stared him down in shock and anger.

"You fucking…" Andrea picked up her gun. The man started backing up, hands in the air. That didn't stop Andrea. She took a steady aim and shot him in the head. "What the hell was that? What the _fuck_ was that!"

Alana stepped forward to look at the man. His clothes were…generic. Uniformed almost. She scrunched her brow. Was he from the prison? No, she couldn't ask that. At least not aloud.

…hell. Were they at the prison? They had been heading in that direction. And it wouldn't surprise Alana if they _had _kicked this man out. The tattoos on his neck looked crude, as if they had been done inside a prison. She wouldn't put it past Rick kicking this man out, whether there was a viable reason or not.

_Fuck. _

They were at the prison. She just knew it.

Alana looked over at Andrea. Michonne was taking a look at the cut on her face. The blade hadn't gone all the way through, but it still got part of the job done. Alana needed to keep her thoughts to herself. She walked over to the one walker that had the medical bag round its neck and took it off.

"Where the hell did he come from? And who the hell was he talking about?" Michonne was asking while Alana cleaned Andrea's face and did her best to patch it up. She held a bandage up to her cheek to try and stop the blood flow. Alana peeled it back slightly to just how deep the cut went.

"It won't need stitches," Alana told Andrea, ignoring Michonne. She had let the rope go that held the walker and looked round to see where it was. It still stood in the spot she had left it in. Alana started going through the medical pack to find the supplies she needed for Andrea. She pulled out a plastic bottle they had poured the liquor in and gave it to Andrea. She took the cap off and splashed some on her cheek, cursing out at the sting. She took a gulp and it stung again. Alana wanted to just put butterfly band-aids on her cheek, but she knew the wound would continue to bleed a bit. Best to try and cover the scent as much as possible. Pulling out another bandage and medical tape she covered up the wound. "You can take it off soon as the blood flow stops," she told Andrea, seeing the unpleased look on her face at having this huge bandage covering the side of her face.

Alana began zipping up the pack, her head down.

"He's from this prison of yours, isn't he?" Michonne asked, a hint of hostility in her voice. She sighed. "Just great. What's the plan now?"

Alana looked over to Andrea. She couldn't tell if she had figured out yet _who_ had kicked this man out from the prison. Alana thought over what to tell the other two, how much she should say.

"It's possible. No weapons on him except that knife? I doubt he was lying about being kicked out."

"So someone's already there then," Andrea said. The way she spoke, Alana could tell then that Andrea was thinking the same thing as her. "It _would_ be like Rick to force him out," Andrea added.

She was a ticking time bomb. Alana could see it written all over her. That last straw was getting shorter and shorter. The frustration had turned to bitterness, to anger. She felt betrayed. Dale had told her about Amy; how Andrea had tried to stay behind and die at the CDC, but that he, Dale, had stayed behind as well, saying if she died then he died. The guilt of Dale staying behind because of her forced Andrea to change her mind. He had built up in her head that there was still hope, even if it was only of surviving another day. But that hope, it had been washed out with Shane's death, Carol's fleeing, the group leaving them behind. She had been holding onto that hope since the CDC. Now it had choked her. She was ready to choke it back.

Alana had stared at the map countless times. She could recall it from memory. There were no nearby towns. Only that Woodbury. And it was…thirty miles away? And with the wound Andrea had now, they needed to get to some concrete place. They needed to find a place to bunker down in for a bit. They had to give her cheek time to heal.

But going to the prison…if the group _was _there...Alana could only imagine what Andrea's reaction would be—what her own reaction would be. To seeing them all again. What would the group say to them? _You're alive! Oh you're alive! Oh we're so happy, we thought you were dead!_ Yes, they all thought that—because none had bothered to come back for them, to leave any sort of message behind. Alana bit back the bile rising in her throat. She couldn't think like that. Had to keep a leveled head.

"Doesn't change anything. We need to get to that prison. It'll have a medical ward; there's only so much I can do for that right now," Alana said, pointing to Andrea's cheek. "Plan remains the same. Come up the back of the prison, survey the area. Figure out just who exactly is there. Then we decide whether or not to head in. Closest town is Woodbury…we don't have much of a choice. We head to the prison."

Michonne shrugged. "If your group kicked this guy out, must mean they already cleaned out the prison."

Alana nodded. "Which means the dirty work has already been done for us."

"This should be a interesting reunion," Michonne said under her breath as she started walking off.

She could see Andrea wasn't pleased with heading to the prison now. "We'll deal with it when we get there," she told her.

Andrea had nothing to say back.

WDWDWDWD

By the time night came it felt like everyone had lost a bit of the tension they had been carrying in them all day. Again, dinner was a disjointed affair. Carol and Lori had prepared a small meal; canned minestrone soup with crackers. Everyone came and went, some eating in the cafeteria while some headed back to their cells. Daryl had been one to head back to his cell to eat. Figured that Dale wouldn't follow him there. He then begun to think he was wrong when he heard someone coming down the row of cells.

But once again, it was Carol.

She was holding a glass of what looked like tea.

"Dale found cartons of it," she told him, walking into the cell to hand it to him.

Daryl only nodded his head and took the glass.

He kept waiting for her to leave.

"I'm sorry about Alana," she told him. She looked down at her hands. "I didn't mean to leave her behind like that…she just said to keep running." Carol kept her head down. "I know she meant a lot to you."

Breeze right over it. That's what he kept telling himself.

"Wasn't nothing between us," Daryl said quietly. The words felt like bile in his mouth, but he said them nonetheless. He had to start drawing that line, separate himself.

Carol looked up at him, a hint of confusion on her face. She nodded and saw that he had finished with his bowl. She reached out to take it from him.

"Goodnight Daryl," she said before leaving.

He sat there for a while longer before getting up and heading outside.

He had first watch for the night.

WDWDWDWD

The anticipation seemed to grow as they got closer to the prison. Michonne would look over at Andrea to see how she was handling things. Looked like she wanted to murder someone. Like she was playing out what she planned on doing if they got there and saw the group. Alana would have to make it a point to separate Andrea from them. This reunion, it wouldn't be a quick, lovely event. It would be drawn out and nasty.

"What time is it?" Michonne asked when she kept seeing Alana looking down at her watch.

They were so close to the prison now; Alana wanted to track their every move, make sure they came out in the right spot.

"Just past 1:30," Alana told her.

They walked closely to each other. Under the trees the moonlight wasn't able to get through; only here and there through gaps in the treetops. Alana led them; she had put the map away. They had made their final turn and it was just a straight shot to the end of the woods. In one hand she held the night vision goggles, holding them up to her eyes. In the other hand she held the machete. Andrea had hold of the walker.

"I see it," Alana then said quietly, catching a glimpse of the open fields. They moved at the same pace, coming to the edge of the woods. The prison was a ways off, but still they crouched down. Alana looked over the field. She counted five walkers wandering about mindlessly. Michonne and Andrea did their best to keep an eye on the walkers while Alana looked over the prison. Andrea pulled out the second pair of goggles.

Alana counted three fences. The area between each one was clear. The area inside the third had a pile of walkers at the side of one of the main buildings. There were three of these large buildings and what looked to be a large garage and greenhouse building.

"No movement," Alana told them. "Pile of walkers at the front corner of the first building, just over there." Alana lowered the goggles. She thought things over. "Right, I'll head out first. Get as close as I can, try and make it round to the front, see who's in there."

"Here," Andrea said, handing the over the rope for the walker. Alana took off her packs and put the goggles round her neck. She picked up the crossbow and slung it on her back. With machete and walker in hand, she started moving out into the field.

Of the five walkers, only two were close enough to notice her. But the smell of decay coming off her Blue Lantern walker turned them away. As she passed them she would slow down, turning her back to keep an eye on them as she kept moving. Both had lost interest in her soon as the scent of the other walker reached them. She continued on towards the fence. Alana did her best to move awkwardly, slowly; like the walker. If someone saw her, she needed them to just see another walker. Wasn't that difficult for her, what with the bum knee.

After what felt like forever, Alana made it to the fences. She held the goggles up and started moving along the fence-line. She could see the pile of walkers with more clarity now. Many of them looked to have police uniforms on. Prison guards. The others were wearing what that crazed young man had been wearing. Her eyes lingered on what looked like a fresh body though. She looked over the rest of the area. To her right there was a green field and guard tower. At the corner of the fences the earth had been disturbed.

A grave.

Alana then crouched to the ground, hiding behind the walker.

She could hear someone coming.

She reached for her gun at her back and stood, still hiding behind the walker. Someone came walking out from behind the pile of walkers. Moving as cautiously as possible, Alana made for her left, trying to hide herself behind the building. She couldn't run round the fences, trying to avoid this person. Alana pushed the walker down on its side and laid out behind it, using its torso to rest the gun on as she prepared the shot.

The steps kept getting closer. Alana trained the goggles on the corner of the building and waited, looking through them.

The man turned the corner, looking out over the field. He adjusted the shotgun on his shoulder. He continued walking, coming closer to where Alana lay in hiding.

He heard the walker moan and halted. He squinted, trying to figure out where it was coming from. He had looked right over the walker, thinking it was dead, what with its arms missing and the fact that it was on the ground.

But he looked again and his eyes became wide.

The moon caught on Alana's eyes and it was like seeing lightening.

"…Alana?" He took a step. "Alana?"

The group was here.

Alana stood up from the ground, but remained behind the walker. She could see that Dale was about to say something, perhaps run off shouting at the others. She held up her gun and he stopped, confusion and a dash of fear on his face.

"Rest of the group here?" she asked, walking up to the fences. Dale couldn't stop looking at the walker that was on the ground. Was…where was its jaw? He nodded his head. "Gates in the front?" He nodded again. "Are they clear?" Another nod. "I'll get the others." She could see the confusion on his face. What others?

"I'll go tell Rick…"

"No!" Alana hissed. She looked back towards the field then turned to Dale. "We just want to sleep." She picked up the rope and pulled the walker back onto its feet. "We'll meet you at the front."

Dale stood there watching as Alana made her way back through the field towards the woods. The way she had looked at him…they should have gone back for her.

He held up his binoculars, but could barely make anything out. As they got closer though, he could see Andrea with her. And another woman. And two more walkers? What…what had happened to them? Alana and Andrea…

He walked ahead back to the front of the prison to get the gates opened. Knowing that the way was clear the women moved quickly. When they reached the front of the prison Dale had two of the gates opened. Alana and Michonne helped to open the third one. He stopped and looked at the women, his eyes lingering on the walkers behind them. He then looked at Andrea's face. He panicked and asked what happened.

Andrea glared at him. "Did you kick someone out of here?" Dale paled. "Yeah, well we met him. Great guy."

Alana interjected. "This is Michonne," she said, tilting her head over to the third woman.

Dale gulped. "I'm not sure how Rick will feel about bringing those in here," he told them, looking at the walkers.

He heard Michonne say that they had served their purpose and then next thing he knew she was shoving the katana through their heads. Alana pulled her walker towards her and did the same.

The women walked through and closed the gates. Alana turned and looked over to the back of the yard. "Who's that?" she asked, looking at the grave.

Dale hung his head. "Beth." He started to list who had died back on the farm, but Andrea cut him off.

"We know. We went back. And buried them."

Dale didn't know what to say. The spite and anger radiating off Alana and Andrea was toxic. "This way," he said, leading them to C-block. He turned round, asking if they were hungry.

"We just want to sleep," Alana told him.

Dale led them inside, showing them where the cells were. The women turned their heads, looking over everything. It was dark inside, but they could see well enough. Dale stood back as the three began walking towards the cells, taking quiet steps. It was eerie; their shadows swam over the cells as they passed by and they were as silent as death. The woman, Michonne, slipped into a cell on the bottom; Andrea beside her. Dale held his breath as he saw Alana begin going up the stairs. He waited to see if she would pause when she reached Daryl's cell.

But she didn't. She looked in and must have seen him, but she just kept walking. She skipped the empty cell next to his and took the second one. He couldn't even hear her put her gear down or the creak of the bunk as she laid down.

He sighed.

They'd never forgive the group for leaving them behind.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl woke up sometime after coming back from his watch. He had felt something unsettling. It felt like a cold wind had found its way inside the prison. He got up from the bed and slipped out from the cell, looking over the guardrail. He caught a quick glimpse of Dale turning down the hall.

He went back to bed.

**And we finally have the reunion! Well…sort of. Day 5 is going to be…interesting. There's still a third night watch, so who will it be and what will Dale tell them? And what will happen in the morning? We're in for a very stormy Day 5 reunion, that's for sure. And what we've all been waiting for, how will Daryl react to seeing Alana? **

**And again, if there are any little ideas you awesome readers have about how certain characters should react, etc, send them my way! It's always great to read them and even if I don't use the idea in some way, they STILL help in structuring the story (:**

**Will hopefully have the next chapter done this weekend (: So leave those awesome reviews of yours and I just might get it done sooner, perhaps….Friday? **

**Emberka-2012: Haha yeah! Only Daryl can kill Daryl! **

**SaraLostInes: Hehe yeah that bit with Glenn literally wrote itself, I loved it. **

**AngieInWonderland: I know! Poor Beth, but someone had to go and she was my best option at the time. With as little time as she's had on the show, aside from that one episode, I worry the writers are going to kill her off ): Like how they did with Patricia, which sucked because we expected it (she didn't really have a major role, a side character and we've seen a handful of those types get killed off already). And yup, Daryl doesn't know how to give up, he may try, but we all know that he doesn't have it in him to just quit. Big things are on the horizon, you got it spot on! I've already begun listing ideas and making outlines for a large chunk of the future. **

**LadyLecter47: See! I kept Andrea's scar! I just had to, I loved that bit in the comics. And Daryl in the gym, yup, in the comics I thought it was so cool, there was no way I could leave it out.**

**Limaro: Haha yeah I've done that before as well. I try to pace myself and then spend half the day reading through the whole thing! Glad you're enjoying Michonne! I've been referring to her, Alana, and Andrea, as Team AAM. That initial reunion: no hugs or sunshine indeed, oh the things I have planned out for the next chapter, hehe. Good to hear you prefer show-Rick to the Rick in this story; I'm basing him more on the comic-version, which I found very hard to like because of his actions and decisions. And the REAL kiss…hmm it is coming, sooner or later, we will get to it (: **

**Leyshla Gisel: Yeah I thought it would be great if Alana got her own walker as well. I thought, well if having one helps, I'd want one too haha. And yup, Beth murdered. That prison is indeed not safe; that's the mistake this group keeps making, thinking that a place is "safe." No place is 100% safe. **


	39. Chapter 39

Dale was at a loss for words and thoughts. What was he supposed to do? He checked his watch; still had…two hours until he had to wake T-Dog for the last shift. Should he wake Rick instead? Tell him that Alana and Andrea were there. And that Michonne woman. Did he wake Daryl? He of all people would want to know that Alana was alive. But…Alana didn't want anyone knowing they were there. Where had they been all this time? Had they been at the farm this whole time?

He spent the rest of his shift sitting outside, watching the fences, thinking. He dreaded the morning. He could just see it; the group coming at them, happy that they're alive. But Alana and Andrea wouldn't return that happiness. The way they had looked at him. They weren't relieved to see him there at the prison, to hear that the others were there. Dale had to tell the others. He had to stop them before they bombarded Alana and Andrea.

As much as he tried to prepare himself for what was sure to come in the morning, thinking over what he would say to the group—how he would get them all together without Alana and Andrea seeing. When the time came, he went and woke T-Dog.

He woke easily enough and Dale led him outside; T-Dog was confused why Dale wasn't heading to his own cell for what remained of the night.

"They're here," he whispered to T-Dog, even though they were outside of the prison now.

T-Dog looked baffled. "Who?"

"Alana and Andrea. They brought someone else with them too."

T-Dog was shocked, looking back into the prison. Why didn't Dale tell everyone? Dale could see all the questions passing over his face and he held a hand up to T-Dog.

"We have a serious problem here," he told the younger man. T-Dog didn't follow. "_We left them behind_. And they are not happy about it. I tried to come in here and tell you all they were here, and Alana said _no._ Said they only wanted to sleep."

"Hell, I'd want to sleep too."

Dale shook his head. "You didn't have Alana pointing a gun at you…for a moment there I actually thought she was going to pull that trigger." He sighed. "We left them behind."

T-Dog was silent for a moment. "So…Daryl doesn't know she's here?"

Dale told him no. "She walked right past his cell. Looked in…but nothing." He looked inside the prison. "In the morning we need to get everyone together and warn them."

"Warn them?" T-Dog said, taken aback. He still couldn't see it, Dale thought.

"They didn't come here because they thought we would be here. They didn't plan on seeing any of us again. They got the message loud and clear, we gave up on them. This…this won't be a happy reunion tomorrow."

Dale turned and walked away, back into the prison. He sat in his cell and waited for the morning to come. He didn't sleep; keeping an eye on his watch. As the others woke he would usher them all outside and tell them Alana and Andrea were back.

He knew what tomorrow would be.

Judgment day.

WDWDWDWD

She had hoped that the moment her head hit the pillow that she'd fall asleep.

But that didn't happen. She stayed awake, staring at the underbelly of the above bunk. She had heard Daryl get up shortly after she lied down. She even turned her head slightly to see if he would walk over and look into the cell. But he didn't. She heard the _creak_ of his bed as he lied back down.

Later on she heard as Dale came back into the prison; she assumed it was to change shifts. She just didn't know with whom. He must have gone outside with the person for she heard two sets of footsteps heading back outside; shortly thereafter someone returned and went into their cell.

She spent what remained of the night attempting to sleep, but her body wouldn't relax. The rest of the group was there and she couldn't get that out of her head.

When the sun began to lighten Alana decided to get up. She had found little comfort in being in the prison finally. Sleep had not come to her as she had hoped. She stood from the bed and removed her jacket. Alana then left her cell and made her way down the stairs. She stepped softly past the cells, reaching Andrea's. When she looked in, she saw Andrea looking back at her. Without a word Andrea slipped out of her cell. They looked into Michonne's and saw that she too was awake. Seemed that none of them were comfortable sleeping in the prison. Trust issues. Even Michonne had reason to have them.

The three women began walking down the hall Dale had led them through. Alana had seen a sign on one of the walls, arrows pointing in various directions. One was for the cafeteria. When they found it they saw that the ceiling was lined with large glass squares. Though still early in the morning, the glow of daybreak had already begun to light the room.

As she had passed the cells, Alana had seen that T-Dog was not in one of them. And that there was an unknown man in one as well. Alana assumed that Dale had not told the group that they were there. She was sure that T-Dog was made aware of their presence, but likely at Dale's suggestion said nothing to the others.

"How'd you sleep?" Michonne asked the two women as they walked back into the kitchens, looking at the shelves of food. Her question was laced in irony.

"Didn't," Andrea said through softly gritted teeth. She sounded exhausted. Like she had wanted to sleep, just as Alana, but was unable to. When Michonne looked over at Alana she shook her head, signifying that she had not slept either.

"I'm not the only one then." Michonne picked through one of the shelves. Walking round to the other side she found Shelf upon shelf of single-serving cereal boxes. There were twelve to a package. One had been opened recently she guessed; three boxes were missing. She grabbed the entire thing and walked out from the aisle, holding it up to show Alana and Andrea.

Andrea looked over to what was marked as the freezer. "Doubt I really want to open that," she told them.

"Look for evaporated milk," Alana suggested. After a few minutes Michonne stepped out once again with a canister.

Alana walked over to the large washing sinks. She had to admit she was shocked when the water actually came out from the faucet. Andrea found the kitchenware, having grabbed spoons, bowls, and cups. The women filled their cups with water and headed out to the dining area. They sat in the corner. Alana read over the can of evaporated milk, trying to determine just how much water was needed. Once figuring it out, the women began eating their first boxes of cereal.

WDWDWDWD

Dale had seen the three women get up and leave the cell area. He followed after them, staying in the hallway as he came to the cafeteria. He could hear them moving about in there and speaking lowly. He headed back to the cells. Now would be his chance to get everyone together and tell them the news.

WDWDWDWD

As she came near to finishing her first bowl, Alana sat back and removed the button-up shirt she was wearing. Andrea looked her over.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a bit hot in here."

Andrea shook her head. "You should have finished that IV. I'll go get it." She stood up to leave.

"Bring the whole pack," Alana told her.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl didn't take well to being shaken awake by Dale so early in the morning. Couldn't even see the stupid sun yet. He had asked him what the hell he wanted while trying to turn away from the old man.

"Get outside with the others. Something's happened."

The worry in his tone was enough to get Daryl up with no further comments.

Everyone stood outside, still half asleep, though a panic could be seen in everyone. Everyone except Dale and T-Dog. There was something akin to dread on their faces. The morning air had a chill to it; a few of them had brought their blankets with them, wrapped up tightly.

"What's going on?" Rick asked Dale once everyone was outside. Even Axel had come when Dale asked him to.

T-Dog looked over at Dale. He didn't want to have to be the one to tell the group.

There was no way to put it but simply.

"Alana and Andrea showed up. In the night. They're here." When the group started speaking over each other, a few trying to head eagerly back into the prison, Dale spoke up, stopping them. They couldn't understand why he was keeping them all out here. "Guys…we left them. They _never_ expected to see us again."

"Did they say where they had been?" Glenn asked. He looked like he was itching to get back into the prison.

Dale shrugged. "Andrea said they went back to the farm. Buried the others. They didn't say when they went back. Alana said they just wanted to sleep, so I let them go. They didn't care for the rest of you to know they were here." There was a moment afterwards where Dale actually found himself…disgusted, by the hurt looks the group had taken on. What right did any of them, himself included, have to feel hurt because Alana and Andrea didn't want to speak with them?

"So, why exactly did you bring us all out here? To tell us they're here? That's it?" Lori asked. She and Carl were wrapped up in one of the blankets. "Shouldn't we be in there with them?"

"Yes," Dale said, dumbfounded. "I mean, no. I think…I just think that everyone should keep their distance from them."

"Aren't they happy to see us?" Carl asked and Dale sighed. How was he to word this to the young boy?

"Son, we…" What was he supposed to say? "When Merle was left in Atlanta, we sent a group after him. When Sophia was lost, we looked for her. But…we did nothing for Alana and Andrea."

"Yes, but we thought they were dead," Rick said. "How were we to know they were alive?"

"How did we know they were dead?" Dale countered. "We didn't." He looked the group over. "I'm just trying to warn you all. Give them space. If we're lucky, they'll forgive us."

Carol had been staring at the ground the whole time. Her mind a blank. She looked over towards the gates, then squinted. "What's that?" she asked.

The group all turned and looked at the three walkers piled just outside the gates.

"Alana and Michonne had these walkers tied up, I suppose they were using them to cover up their scents."

Everyone looked to Dale, confused.

"Who's Michonne?" Glenn asked.

Dale had completely forgotten about her.

"She was with Alana and Andrea."

The inclusion of a new person to group only added to the tension everyone was feeling. A new person? They hadn't had much luck with new people in the past. Or recent past for that matter.

"So what do we do, act like nothing's happened?" Maggie asked from Glenn's side.

"I don't know," Dale answered. "I've told you, I don't know what else to do."

With that the group slowly filed back into the prison. As much as they were happy that Alana and Andrea were alive, they were unprepared for actually seeing them.

Daryl pulled up the rear of the group; he could feel that cold wind brushing against him again and fill him with irony.

_Beth had brought Alana back. _

WDWDWDWD

Andrea returned to the cafeteria with the bag of medical supplies. She informed Alana and Michonne that the cells were empty. Dale must have taken everyone somewhere to deliver the good news of their return. Alana could see that the tension had intensified in Andrea when she came back to the cafeteria; that something wasn't right. She supposed that they had both been thinking that if they got up now and ate they'd be able to avoid the group for just a bit longer.

"Prepare for the most solemn reunion you've ever seen," she told Michonne.

"Anything to take the attention off me," she told Alana.

Alana smirked as she removed the button-up shirt. She dug through the bag and pulled out everything that she needed. Meanwhile, Andrea was gently peeling the bandage off her cheek. She turned to Michonne who stuck her bottom lip out, nodding her head. A thin crust of blood had formed over the cut; it went from just in front of her ear all the way to the inside of her lips. While eating she had tilted her head to the left and took half spoonfuls at a time. Andrea pulled out the triple antibiotic ointment and placed some on her cheek. She found the butterfly bandaids and stuck a few on.

"Need anything?" Andrea asked Michonne, holding the bag up. She shook her head.

"I'm not as accident prone as you two." The women laughed halfheartedly.

Alana prepared her left arm for the IV and Andrea helped her out. There wasn't anything to hook the bag onto, so Andrea squeezed it until liquid had gone into the drip chamber then set the bag down on the table next to Alana. She took a seat just as the group began to come into the cafeteria.

WDWDWDWD

She had her back to the entrance, but Daryl knew at once it was her. The scar that traveled down her back peeked out from underneath the tank top she wore. He could see something on her arm, but couldn't make it out until he was closer. An IV bag lay on the table next to her.

Neither she nor Andrea had turned to look at them as they entered. The woman Dale had called Michonne looked up momentarily, but then back down into her bowl. Lori held onto Carl's hand as he tried to pull away and walk up to them. Dale sat nearby as a few of the others went into the kitchens to gather up something for breakfast. He kept an eye on everyone, not wanting anyone to come near Alana and Andrea.

It looked like everyone was going to be eating cereal. Maggie returned with a new canister of evaporated milk. Carol had the boxes of cereal. T-Dog and Glenn had the kitchenware for everyone.

For a first, Daryl willingly sat with Dale. He was sitting the nearest to the table with the women at it. As Daryl ate he would look over towards them. Never once did he catch any of them looking up.

He felt foolish. How had she survived? He should have gone back. Why did he listen to Rick? He should have never listened to him.

"What happened to your face?"

The question was out before anyone could shut Carl's mouth. He was just a boy; it was bound to happen. But still, even he should have known better.

The women had been sitting there quietly. There had been no change in their demeanor when the group entered, as far as the group could tell. Then again, they were doing their best to not stare at the women. Alana had hoped that the group would just keep to themselves, eat, and get out.

And then Carl spoke up. She could hear Lori scolding him, saying that his question was impolite. Didn't matter now though. There was no taking it back. Andrea's hand had paused midair with her spoon. Alana could see that she had begun to shake, just slightly.

Dale quickly spoke up, trying to defuse the situation. "They ran into Andrew." There was no need to say anything else. The group could see what clearly happened. Andrea could see from the few glances that were shot in Rick's direction that it must have been him that had just let this man Andrew go. He never learned, did he? If he was worth kicking out of the prison, he was worth a bullet in the head.

Alana looked over to Andrea. She wasn't eating anymore, just moving the spoon back and forth in the bowl slowly. She stared down towards the table. Alana could feel everyone's eyes on their table, watching them, like they were caged freaks. And they were, weren't they? It's what Andrea believed them to be thinking. From the corner of her eye she could see them staring over at them. At her. Andrea couldn't take it. Before Alana could stop her, Andrea had turned in the chair and was spitting out the words.

"What's the matter? Didn't think you'd see us again, is that it?" She looked at the group with disgust. "Of course you didn't. That's why you left us!" Alana tried to reach out a hand towards Andrea, but she brushed it away and instead stood up, taking a few steps to the others. Andrea had her eyes set on Rick. "You drove off—you drove off and left me there! Didn't you hear me? Did you? Not once! Not once did you look back!" She looked frazzled, shaking with the anger she had been holding in. "None of you waited for us!"

Rick stood, trying to calm the situation. "We waited on the highway, for two hours, but when you didn't show up—"

"You thought we were dead, is that it? Of course it is. You know what we did, the rest of that night, how we spent that morning? Running. We ran for our _lives. _And you didn't even leave us a sign. Nothing." It looked like Rick was going to say something, but Andrea stopped him. "Shane's car does _not_ count! It ran out of gas." A new anger flashed in her eyes. "Was it you? Did you kill him? Did you kill Shane?" Rick, the fool, he glanced quickly over the room, eyes landing for a moment on Lori. Andrea scoffed.

He ignored her question. "What did you want us to do? To split the group up and look for the two of you? As far as we knew, the both of you were dead," Rick said to her.

And with those words, Andrea's eyes shifted over to the opposite corner of the cafeteria.

To Carol.

"Right," she began, "because she fucking said we were dead. Did you tell them how I saved your _fucking life_, did you Carol? Did you forget to tell them how you left Alana behind as well?" The group had spaced out, away from the three women, and so none were able to move fast enough to grab Andrea after she muttered, "You fucking bitch," and came after Carol.

Carol screamed as Andrea pulled her from the chair and dragged her down, grabbing her head and slamming it into the floor. Hershel and Glenn were the first to reach the two women; they tried to pull Andrea off of Carol. She clawed at the older woman's clothing, reaching out to punch and slap her. The cut on her cheek had torn open, the droplets splattering on Carol's face.

Daryl and Dale had stood, moving towards the women, to help separate Andrea. A blur passed in front of Daryl, pushing him violently out of the way. There was a soft _flop_ barely heard over the commotion. Daryl looked down to see the IV bag lying on the floor.

Alana came forward and pushed Andrea off of Carol, standing between the two of them. The others tried to pull her further away and Andrea shrugged off their grips. Hershel and Glenn were helping Carol to stand up. The woman was quietly crying.

She could see the way the group was slowly moving away from her and Andrea. She looked over to Carol. Fragile, broken Carol; the woman with the endless _get out of jail_ card. Why did she ever help her that night? She would have been better to the group dead. What was her place here?

A silence fell over the cafeteria as Alana stepped forward, quickly. Daryl had seen her pull something from a side pocket. A glint of metal flew glided through the air as Alana pushed Carol up against the wall, a pocketknife held to her throat.

"Alana…" It was Rick.

"Shut it!" she hissed, never once taking her eyes off of Carol. The woman kept her eyes closed, whimpering. Alana began speaking lowly, in an eerily calm voice. "Did you see a walker _bite_ Andrea? Did you!" Carol shook her head. "Did you _hear_ Andrea cry out? No? What about me? Did you see me get bitten? How about scream? Did I scream?" Alana began speaking to Rick, keeping her eyes on Carol, staring at the knife against her throat. "She said we told her to run, is that it? So she ran and never looked back. Here's some advice for you Michonne," Alana said, taking a step back, but still holding the knife to Carol. "Never trust this one. She'll leave you for dead."

Alana turned away from Carol and walked over to the table. She picked up the IV bag on the floor and then grabbed the medical bag. She gave one look to Michonne and the woman stood, walking out of the cafeteria with her and Andrea.

Daryl stood there, watching as everyone crowded around Carol except for himself and Dale.

She hadn't looked at him.

Alana hadn't even looked at him once.

**Okay, this chapter could have been much longer, likely twice as long, but the second half would have totally clashed with this first bit. Pacing really changes and when I tried to continue writing it just did not connect well. So the aftermath of beating the crap out of Carol will be coming very soon (: I'm going to try and get it done tonight and posted in a couple of hours. **

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'd respond back right now, but I want to get back to working on the next chapter and get it posted later tonight (: So hopefully I will see you all again very very soon! **


	40. Chapter 40

**So this is really, really short. But I wanted to post it as its own little chapter since I wasn't able to get it to flow with the previous chapter or the coming chapter, which some is already written for (: This is just a conclusion to the rest of the day. Enjoy!**

After an explosive morning, the rest of the day was like walking over glass shards.

Hershel had tended to Carol. She had a busted lip and numerous bruises. Rick said that he would go and talk with Alana and Andrea. Dale argued against it, seeing how much help _talking_ had already done. But Rick didn't listen. He went searching for the two women. They weren't to be found in the lower or upper row of cells. When Rick attempted to look further for them, Dale intervened, saying that he would go and search.

He didn't go searching for them. He walked down the halls towards the office rooms and went inside one. He sat at the desk for a while before heading back out. Rick looked at him expectantly, even appearing a bit irritated that Dale hadn't arrived with Alana and Andrea in tow.

After arguments being tossed in different directions, it was finally agreed that there was nothing the group could do about the situation except, well, move on. Just as they did on everything else.

The pile of walkers still had to be dealt with and so the men prepared to head back out to the ditch in the field. When the decision was made, Daryl was nowhere in sight. He would be left behind at the prison with Hershel and Dale while the other men took care of the walkers. Hershel and Dale sat outside behind the gates, keeping an eye on the others. Carol had gone into hiding in her cell. Lori had sat with her for just a little bit, then left to keep an eye on Carl. They joined Maggie in the cafeteria where she was cleaning everything up from breakfast.

Everyone felt strange. The guilt was there, for not going back to look for Alana and Andrea. For not leaving any sort of sign for them, a trail to follow. But it was a confused guilt. One by one, the group came to realize their reasoning for turning away from the farm and, ultimately, away from any possibility for Alana and Andrea being alive.

Carol.

As much as they did not want to acknowledge that Alana and Andrea were right, they had to. Carol _had _been the one to tell them she didn't see either of the women. But…at the same time, Alana had forced it into their faces that Carol didn't say she actually saw either of them being bitten. She had seen a walker fall on Andrea, but just as Alana had pushed her to answer, she didn't hear Andrea scream. And she hadn't told them how she saw Andrea shoot at the walker. As far as Alana was concerned, soon as she heard her say to keep running, she didn't look back. It wasn't until they were on the highway that she actually came out and said that she had been running with Alana to the road.

But everyone had looked over her failings. Didn't acknowledge that she had essentially left them behind. Of everyone on the farm, she was the only one without a weapon. Even Lori had a gun. And now Carl as well. Only time Carol had held a weapon was when she drove the pickaxe through her husband's head.

Dale could see it on all of their faces. They had all come to the realization that, if Carol had been more forward in telling them what had happened, they would have gone back for Alana and Andrea. They would have found them. They would have been stronger. And Alana…Alana would have known something wasn't right with Thomas. Dale just knew that she would have seen it. And maybe Beth would still be alive. Alana would have reinforced that no one should wander off alone in the prison. She would have protected Beth.

So much would be different if Alana and Andrea hadn't been left behind.

Yet that realization, on their faces…Dale could see how it submitted to misguided humanity.

He knew what the others thought of him, that he was the old man that stuck his head into things that weren't always of his concern. Gave advice where it wasn't always wanted. But he…he couldn't just let his humanity go. But he also couldn't just dish it out to every fragile soul. Treating Carol like she had _fragile_ stamped all over her, what good would that do? She would never find her own strength, always relying on the rest of the group to protect her.

As harsh as Alana's words were, they were true. If left with Carol, you'd be left for dead. She would run. She'd live. And she'd be comforted by the rest of them.

And that realization on the faces of the group that he saw give way…yes, Carol had been through so much. Much more than they would ever realize. And because of that the group circled around her, showering her with comfort and soft words. It was like seeing the group changing bodies with Alana and Andrea. Suddenly the group was randomly staring off, scowls on their faces. They were _angry_ at Alana and Andrea.

Dale shook his head as he sat outside with Hershel.

This reunion was far from over.

WDWDWDWD

Alana, Andrea, and Michonne had gone as far back into C-block as possible, to the gym. Aside from the cafeteria and cellblock, it was the best lit place. Michonne had grabbed her katana as they passed by the cells and Andrea had brought along two guns; one for her and one for Alana. She had also brought the medical pack.

Their steps echoed in the gym, bouncing off the walls. They walked cautiously; it looked like here and there were bits of walker remnants. The group must have cleaned it out; Alana noticed water streaks from mops. She and Andrea headed over to the bleachers while a weight room caught Michonne's attention. She headed in and looked around. Equipment was tossed all over the place. She began moving it, putting things back in place. Alana looked over Andrea's cheek.

"Probably best if you try not to speak more than needed," Alana advised as she patched her back up.

Andrea scoffed. "Not like I have anything else to say to them."

_Them_ was the only reference made about the rest of the group.

"Guess we should get that IV started up again," Andrea said, looking at Alana's arm. There were a few tiny blood drops on her arm from where the IV had been pulled out when she stood so quickly; it got caught on the chair and was yanked right out. A new needle and tube was attached to IV bag and in a few seconds Andrea had the IV back in.

The two women sat there afterwards, watching as Michonne put the weight room back together. She came out some time later.

"They've got a leg press in there," she was saying as she walked over to them. She looked to Alana. "It'll help with your leg."

Alana looked over to the machine. Just the sight of it made her cringe. She wasn't up to attempting it just yet. "Another day perhaps," she said.

"What do we do now?" Andrea asked.

Alana sighed. "I'd like to actually get some sleep. I have a feeling they'll be leaving us alone for a while. Might as well spend it sleeping."

Andrea and Michonne agreed. The three women left the gym and headed back to the cells. As they reached the cellblock voices could be heard. The men were back from ditching the pile of walkers. And Thomas.

There was an awkward silence as everyone just stood there, trying to act normal. Tried to carry on whatever conversations they had been in the middle of. Andrea and Michonne headed into their cells. Alana could practically see the fear boil out of Carol as she passed her cell to head upstairs.

She didn't care what the group thought of her or Andrea. She knew that they didn't have the guts to make either of them leave.

Alana entered her cell and stopped in front of the bunk beds. On the floor, between the beds and wall, was Daryl. So this was where he had been hiding all this time. Waiting for her to come.

_Waiting._ The word mocked her dismally.

He looked up to see her enter the cell and pause as she noticed him. He chewed at his thumb. He hadn't even thought of what he would do when she finally showed up. Didn't have anything planned to say to her. He looked at her hand, at the IV bag she held in it. She must have seen him staring.

"Antibiotic," she said to him as she sat down on the lower bunk. She was looking at the belly of the top bunk, trying to see if there was a way to hook the IV bag on it. There were bands of what looked like elastic. Alana placed the bag behind them and thankfully it stayed in place.

"What for?" Daryl asked.

"A whole day of running does its damage. Stitches…tore through the skin again. It became infected. We had to cauterize it."

As she explained Daryl caved into himself. Everything she had gone through, all because he hadn't gone back for her. He was shaken from his self-hate when she started speaking again.

"You can have your pants back tomorrow. Saw there's showers in here. Do they work?" He nodded. "I'm going to sleep now."

Daryl sat there a moment longer, still unsure of what to say.

"I'm sorry. Shoulda gone back for ya."

He remained seated, hoping she would say something. Anything that hinted that he could stay right where he was.

But she didn't say anything to him. She laid down, facing the wall.

Daryl could feel it; she had drawn a line where he didn't want there to be one.

Between them.

She was back, but still lost to him.

Daryl stood and left the cell without another glance at her.

**There we have it, a very quick chapter, but at least there's some interaction between Alana and Daryl! Of course, I doubt it's the sort of interaction you were all hoping for (: But hey, we can't rush right back into things, pretty much have to start all over again. Poor Daryl. **

**I do have a question for you all! **

**Now I'm not going to simply have Daryl and Alana go back to normal right away, but at the same time I don't want to draw it out any longer than necessary. I have plenty of things to serve as filler, along with little things here and there that will hopefully push Daryl and Alana back towards each other. Question is, what do you think should be that tipping point that brings them back together? Should there be a certain even that takes place, someone says something, etc? So be sure to include your ideas in your reviews! **

**Next chapter will be much much longer, going to try and get everything to flow together into one chapter until we reach the proper reunion between Alana and Daryl. If not, I'll cut it into two chapters. Goal is to have new material up by Tuesday. **

**RAINRAIN9: Well he cornered her! Too bad it didn't work out ): **

**iDon'tWannaLove: My story is the free sort of drug! Haha**

**Leyshla Gisel: haha yup it's like two groups now at the prison. **

**LadyLecter47: Oh yeah, he has a whole lot of work ahead of him. Poor guy. **

**AngieInWonderland: Thanks for your help! I shall be messaging you soon to run some ideas by you (: I totally planned that whole thing with Beth! **

**Zaii: I know! She just walks right past him, doesn't even look at him. How sad! **


	41. Chapter 41

Dinner that night had, once again, been a personal affair for everyone. Even with a prison cafeteria full of ingredients and ready-to-go meals, the group ate small and separately for the most part. Alana, Andrea, and Michonne ate together at the same table, late after the others had eaten. Food was prepared from Alana's pack. Dale had come in and joined them. He showed no hesitancy in sitting with them and they made no comment or gesture that suggested he wasn't welcomed.

Alana had removed the IV bag, but kept the needle in place, wrapped up with some bandaging and the arm brace Andrea had found for her. Dale sat across from her. As he ate his share of the ramen noodles he told her, along with Andrea and Michonne, what had happened with the group during the rest of the day.

"Rick is still, pretty upset about this morning." He didn't say anything about Carol. "But, I talked with him."

"And," Andrea began. "Is he going to try to kick _us _out?"

"No," Dale said as he shook his head. "He, and the others, they understand now. It's just that not all of them agree with…this morning. Give them time, that's all." He sighed. "You know how this group is. Inconsistent. They'll come around."

There was a beat of silence and Michonne added, "Even that Carol?"

Dale raised an eyebrow. "I…I don't know about Carol anymore."

Alana spoke quietly, as if she was reading instructions from a book. "It was instinct for us to feel sorry for her. Allowed her to fly while the rest of us stayed to fight." She twirled the noodles round her fork. "We can't have that anymore. Next time something happens, I won't think twice to 'fly.'"

After finishing in the cafeteria Alana returned to her cell. She had anticipated seeing Daryl waiting in there once more. Even after passing him in the hall as he headed outside for the first watch of the night she still anticipated to see him in there. Alana didn't think much on it; she quickly fell asleep once lying down.

Daryl ended up covering the second watch for the night. He wasn't ready to go back in there. If he could, he'd sit out there all night long. He kept going over the scene in his head. _Should have gone back for her?_ Was that really the best he could do? No, course it wasn't, he was just too chickenshit to say anything more. Do anything more. She hadn't even said anything to him; he was the one that decided to get up and leave. Could have stayed right there. But he didn't. He was such an idiot. Smart thing to do at the very moment was to go right back in there. Grab all his crap and toss it into her cell; don't give her a chance to say no, just invite himself in. Yet there he was, sitting outside the prison like he was some fucking vampire waiting for an invitation.

He huffed like a child. And fought back a yawn. He needed to head back in and get some sleep. Sitting out here wasn't doing a damn thing for him. Daryl drew himself up from the chair and headed inside, waking Glenn before heading up to his own cell. Once inside he laid the crossbow on the top bunk and tossed himself onto the bottom one. Didn't care about taking his boots off or if he waked anyone with as loud as he was being. Daryl shook his head; here Alana was, back with the group, and here he lied alone.

He sure had made a fine mess of things, hadn't he?

WDWDWDWD

The next day, well in truth, the whole week went by with the two of them not saying a word to one another. It seemed that they were never in the same place at the same time. And on the off chance that they were, one would quickly find a reason or another to suddenly have to leave. Their separation was aided by Alana, as well as Andrea and Michonne, keeping a distance from the rest of the group. It appeared that while Dale was correct in saying the group would eventually come around to them, he was also right in having to give it time. Glenn had been the first to say something to them, on the second day of being there. Overall the group was cordial towards them, but didn't waste time on words or gestures that weren't needed. And needless to say, the women weren't bothered by it all, or lack of all.

The women had been eating a late breakfast when Glenn came and spoke with them.

"Some of us are going to open up A-block and clean it out," he started out saying, shifting side to side on his feet. "Dexter and—Dexter was another inmate. Rick shot him. Dexter and Andrew opened it up, to get to the armory, let a bunch of walkers out. We're gonna go in there and kill whatever ones are left. Do some exploring." His ramble was followed by stares. "Just thought you guys should know, in case maybe you wanted to come along. But you don't have to—probably still tired." Glenn began to back away, head down. "I'm just gonna go."

"I'll tag along," Michonne said, standing up. Glenn stopped in his tracks.

"Ok, yeah. Rick said he wants to go right now—"

"I'll grab my sword."

Michonne gave a nod to Alana and Andrea and left.

Andrea looked down at her bowl of cereal. "And how should we spend our day?" Alana answered by holding up her arm with the IV attached. "You're still on that same bag?" she asked a bit shocked. There wasn't much left in it to begin with when they reached the prison.

"New one," Alana told her.

Andrea scrunched her brow. "You still have that fever?"

Alana nodded. "I was never very good with colds. Took…twice as long for me to get better. I always hated the winter back in Germany. I was like an old hag that sat in front of the fireplace constantly."

Andrea smirked. "With twenty cats around you."

Alana hung her head slightly. "It was only four."

WDWDWDWD

Michonne had gone off with Glenn and joined up with Rick, T-Dog, Daryl, and Axel. At first glance Rick was none too pleased to see Michonne walking behind Glenn.

"She said she wanted to help," Glenn told the group.

"What's the plan?" Michonne asked before Rick could say anything to her; try and send her back to C-block.

Turned out the plan was to open the doors, make some noise, and stand back. Wait and see if any more walkers came out. If there were too many in there it'd be easier if the group was able to deal with them out in the open as opposed to wandering right into A-block and then getting surrounded. Next stage of the plan was to head inside; everyone was to pair up.

They spent the some three hours inside clearing out the bodies and tossing them into a pile outside. It looked like a majority of the walkers had come out when Dexter and Andrew opened the doors. The only upright walkers still inside were some odd thirty that had gotten stuck behind doors.

It wasn't until after the place had been cleared out that the group then did a proper walkthrough, making note of the rooms. There was another cellblock, cafeteria, and showers. There was also the armory, which, according to Michonne when she returned, was completely loaded. And there was a medical ward. A large one. Filled with beds, equipment, and medications.

When it came time to begin cleaning A-block up Michonne took the first chance she saw to leave. She wasn't about to spend the remaining hours in the day pushing a mop around. Going back to A-block, she found Alana and Andrea in the library. Apparently the two women had made bets as to which books they thought were _popular_ amongst prison inmates. Andrea wagered it was _Count of Monte Cristo_; Alana said _Harry Potter._ They were both wrong it seemed though. Looking at the checkout cards, turned out to be the _Diary of Anne Frank_.

Michonne told them what they had found in A-block; she mentioned how she had to partner up with someone. Andrea snorted.

"Did Rick make you go with him?"

She slowly turned her head towards Andera. "Yeah, actually he did."

"Figures," Andrea scoffed.

"That's why I left. They can be the bitches and mop the floors."

That evening, before the sunlight faded, the women took turns in the showers, one standing outside to make sure that one remaining inmate, Axel, didn't try to come in. They'd heard the rather unique remarks that man had a habit of making.

WDWDWDWD

During dinner Daryl sat with Dale again, his eyes on Alana's back. It was the first night that the group had had a regular dinner. It being a few days, meatloaf had been prepared again with instant mashed potatoes. It did not go unnoticed how Rick placed himself between the women and Carol. Though Alana and Andrea saw it, they weren't bothered by it. They had been ignoring the woman at all costs. They were done with dealing with her. And Carol in turn avoided them though they could feel her cold stare on their back from time to time. It actually amused them, sure that if they were to turn around she'd quickly cower away.

People were making small talk; Rick was saying on he wanted to work on transferring the food they had found in A-block into C-block. Alana was a bit surprised. It was actually a wise idea. Congratulations to Rick. Though they were clearing out the entire prison and it was extremely secure, he didn't want people having to wander off too far if it could be avoided. Plus, as Alana thought to herself, a prison wasn't meant for keeping people out. It was meant for keeping people in. She made a mental note to walk the fenceline the next day, make sure there weren't any weak points.

She heard Hershel speaking. She hadn't heard much from him since arriving. He was still coming to terms that Beth was gone. He was trying to hard to hold himself together, for the sake of Maggie, and she was doing the same for him.

"A few walkers gathered up on the fence today. Bound to be more joining them. We should come up with a way to get rid of them."

"We'll take care of it," Alana said. The _creak_ of the chairs could be heard as everyone turned to look at their table. Going on a third day of not doing much wouldn't suit her very well, she knew. And she was still having to get used to the taut skin on her knee; she wouldn't be of much use in helping clear out any walkers.

Rick stared sternly at her, nodding his head after a moment. "Take care of it in the morning. I want to open up B-block in the afternoon."

Alana checked her watch, setting an alarm.

"You're not taking ninja girl with you?" Axel asked from behind their table. It was a cue for all eyes to fall on him. _Ninja girl? _Alana smirked at Michonne. "What? Want my ass covered. Girly lasted out there on her own."

Andrea looked to Michonne. "We'll be fine," she told her. It looked like the same group from today would be going into B-block tomorrow and Axel had laid claim to a new partner. His partner for today had been Glenn.

When it was decided what everyone would be doing for the next day Alana finished up her clearing her plate and told Andrea to be ready for an early wakeup.

"How early?" Andrea asked, a bit hesitant to hear.

"8? Sun will be up by then." Alana told her how she wanted to check the fences. She took her plate and headed to the back to dump it in the sink. Carol was on washing duty. Dishes and clothes, though of course Alana and Andrea were doing their own of the latter.

Alana headed out of the cafeteria, feeling eyes on her back. The shiver that ran down her spine told her who it was.

Daryl allowed a couple of minutes to go by before he got up and left as well. He took his time heading down the hall and into the cellblock. As he entered he saw Alana walking into her cell. He chewed at his thumb, thinking over what to do. Could walk into her cell, tell her they needed to talk. That he needed to explain himself. Daryl was so caught up in his own head, but as he came upon his own cell he paused. There, folded up on the bottom bunk, were his cargo pants that Alana had been wearing when she got to the prison. He walked in and looked down at them.

He stared at the wall, trying to see through it, to her. Sighing, he threw the pants off onto the floor and got ready for bed.

WDWDWDWD

The next day Alana went and woke Andrea at 8AM. The two didn't bother with eating anything for breakfast. Alana prepared two protein shakes for them that they drank while making their way over to the garage at the end of C-block. Didn't have much in it, but Alana had an idea.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Andrea asked as she looked through the shelves of tools.

Alana quickly found what she was looking for though.

The two women had returned with crowbars. And they had a plan; to straighten out the ends, sharpen them, and stick a block of wood on the opposite end to keep it from sliding completely through the links. They'd have to wait till the outside garage was cleaned out to find more tools though. In there they might find wielding equipment and something to sharpen the ends with instead of having to rely on the whetstones Alana and Michonne had.

Since they wouldn't be able to do much with the crowbars until they found proper equipment to straighten them out with the two women went through the weapon pack to see what they could use for the time being. There were a couple of fairly slender knives. It was beyond tedious, but one by one they walked along the outer fence, stabbing through the links into the skulls of the walkers. It at least helped that the walkers were so eager to get a taste of the women that they pressed their faces right up against the fence. It reminded Alana of that scene from _Terminator 2_ where that one Terminator slinked right through the gate.

When the two of them were finally done, 17 walkers in total (with the time it took they could have shot down triple that number), they saw that they had acquired a small audience. Carl was sitting outside with his mother and Maggie. And Carol.

Alana and Andrea walked up, to head inside and wash the knives and put them back.

"Are you done?" Lori asked, a rather obvious lack of friendliness present.

"No," Alana said strongly. "We need to walk the fence. Make sure there aren't any weak spots."

Maggie stood up. "I'll come along."

The three women walked, one on the inside, one in the middle, and the last at the outer fence.

"Do you think it'll hold?" Maggie asked, shaking at the fence, making sure it was securely stuck in the concrete.

"Long as we clear out walkers daily, yeah, it should hold."

Maggie shook her head. "Smell alone should keep them away you'd think."

Andrea looked to Alana then behind them to the fields, where Rick and the others had begun digging the mass graves. She thought back to Atlanta, when Rick and Glenn had covered themselves in that walker's guts and gore. Maggie saw the thoughtful look on her face and asked what she was thinking.

"It's going to sound gross, but maybe we shouldn't bury them. The walkers. What if we piled them up around the prison? It might cover our scent and keep them from coming any closer." She pointed to the field. "We could make a barrier midway in the field. It's not like it'd be hard to get enough bodies. And…we can leave a couple spots open, for when we need to go out."

Maggie stared out at the field, picturing Andrea's idea. She agreed. "Yeah, that could work. You should mention it to Rick."

Alana and Andrea gave each other questioning looks. The three women continued walking.

"Look, I'm sorry for how everyone is treating you guys. Now I don't agree with beating each other up, but, I'm pretty sure it's out of your systems and I don't believe it's something either of you usually do," Maggie said to them, looking back and forth at them.

Alana nodded. "We should finish up here."

The three completed their walk around the perimeter and headed back inside. They watched as Rick and the others headed out, closing the doors behind them. No one was to come outside until they were done. Those left behind were either in the cafeteria or in their cells. Alana sat in her cell, reading a book she had taken from the library. When she had passed by Daryl's cell she saw Carol in there, neatly stacking his washed clothes on the top bunk. It hadn't slipped past Alana, the little things here and there that Carol was now doing for him. Nor how he did nothing to stop it. But she also never saw him speak to her. If anything, there were moments where she saw him tense when Carol came near. Alana pushed the thoughts away and tried to focus on her book. _The Hours. _She had read it before. But she always came back to it. She knew exactly what pages to turn to, to find the words that stood out to her no matter how many times she read them.

_We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep. It's as simple and ordinary as that. A few jump out windows, or drown themselves, or take pills; more die by accident; and most of us are slowly devoured by some disease, or, if we're very fortunate, by time itself. There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds & expectations, to burst open & give us everything we've ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) know these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still, we cherish the city, the morning, we hope, more than anything for more. Heaven only knows why we love it so._

Alana found that she still hoped. For Daryl to find her. Truly find her. She felt trapped inside herself, the resentment overpowering her. She hoped for the strength to get up and walk into his cell; to sit on his bed and wait for him. But the grudge that had fueled her had now poisoned her.

Every day was like this now. Every hour was a battle she fought against herself. She never let the others see it; she kept the war deep within her. And she took every wound in stride. Alana held up the ring that hung on the chain, looking at it as she rolled it back and forth in her hand.

An hour here or there.

For a brief moment, she had every hour in the day. Every hour in the night.

Alana was brought out of her head when Hershel came and stood outside her cell. He nodded his head as she put the book down.

"Wanted to check your knee," he said. Though Alana could do without him, she got the sense that Hershel needed this. Something to keep him occupied. Being a father, he must have been used to always taking care of someone. Multiple someone's. For his sake, Alana sat up and rolled up her pant leg.

Hershel noted that she had removed the stitches. "You bend your knee when you did it?" he asked. Alana nodded. "What's the IV for?" he asked; she had put the tubing back in once returning from the library with the book.

"Spent a couple days out in the woods, got an infection."

Hershel looked at the bag. "While this particular one is good, it's more of a common antibiotic. There should be something stronger in that medical hall the other found yesterday. How's your immune system? Pretty strong?"

Alana shook her head. She told him of her winters in Germany.

"Well, soon as Rick and them get done out there I'll go check what medications there are might help you."

"Thank you," Alana said. "I'm sorry about Beth," she told him. She truly had liked the young girl. Beth had always spoken so kindly to her.

Hershel took a deep breath. "She missed you very much." He thought back on the past days, before Alana had arrived. "She was devastated when Daryl went into the gym. I just wish she could have known that both of you were safe."

Alana scrunched her brow and wrinkled her nose. "The gym? What happened in the gym?"

Hershel looked a bit worried. Hadn't anyone told her yet?

"No one's told you?" She shook her head. "About Daryl? Didn't he tell you?"

"We…haven't been speaking."

Hershel sighed heavily. "There were walkers in the gym and Daryl…went off on his own." He told her everything that had happened. How they closed the doors and left him in there. They all thought he was dead. "We went back in and there he was. Alive."

Alana sat there silent. She couldn't grasp what Hershel was telling her.

"He…tried to kill himself?" The words tasted alien on her tongue.

"I don't know." Hershel stood and made to leave. He turned round at the entrance. "He wanted to go back for you. Daryl doesn't seem like a man who's…direct with his feelings. Giving up, completely, must have been easier than accepting you were gone."

At dinner Alana scarcely ate. She sat in a different seat as well. If she would only turn her head just a bit to the left she would see Daryl. Every time he looked at her she could feel it. Hershel walked over with a bottle of medication.

"This will clear you up faster," he told her.

"You alright?" Dale asked when he had walked away. Alana looked his way and locked eyes with Daryl for mere seconds.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just a bit under the weather."

She heard T-Dog asking about the watches for the night. Alana offered to take one. Anything to keep her busy. She was still reeling from what Hershel had told her. She wanted to get up and slap Daryl. How stupid could he be? Was he really that crazy?

As Alana was coming out of the kitchens from dumping her plate she passed Daryl.

The look on her face scared him. Worried him. Disturbed him.

Her face…there was emotion there.

And she had looked at him.

He walked past her. If he had looked down he would have seen how her hand twitched, wanting to reach out to him.

WDWDWDWD

During the next day when they were cleaning out B-block Daryl couldn't stop himself from looking at her. Because they had begun in the afternoon, the group hadn't been able to finish cleaning the building. Alana and Andrea had volunteered to come and help. They kept to themselves mostly, with Axel and Michonne nearby. It was sadistic, Alana thought, how she had offered to help. It meant she'd be in close quarters to Daryl. It was like a cigarette; bad for her health but the calmness it brought was ecstasy. She had to see him, to help her figure out just what it was she was feeling. What she was thinking.

Daryl could see that she still favored her right knee. He could only imagine the ugly red scar on it now. They were in the cellblock, gathering the trash and random chaos that had ensued during the breakout. The women were down below collecting things, tossing them into different push-carts. Daryl watched Alana from above as he chucked things out from the cells.

Michonne eyed him through the day. He never saw her. He was always too busy looking at Alana. Michonne made her way over to Alana.

"Got yourself a admirer," she told her quietly, their backs to the cells. Alana didn't have to look behind to know who she meant. "Been staring at you since we came in here."

"I don't doubt it," Alana commented, not stopping in her work.

Michonne turned sideways so she could get another look at Daryl. "You gonna go after him?"

"Already did."

"And?"

Alana shook her head. "Long story."

Michonne stretched an arm out. "Does it look like I'm going anywhere? Could go for a long story."

"Maybe another day," Alana told her.

Michonne cocked her head. "You cared for him." She could see it in the hurt that lined Alana's face.

"I never said I stopped caring. Things are just…different now." She sighed. "And rather confusing."

They dropped the conversation and continued on with their work. Michonne eventually made her way over to Andrea who had no issue with telling her the _long story. _She told her about when Alana had first joined the group, with Wilhelm. She told her everything up to that night on the farm.

During that night Daryl wandered off, wanting to get away from the others. That look from the previous night, it had rattled him. He couldn't pinpoint what it meant. But…he felt like he had seen it before. He headed to the gym, thinking no one would be there. It was far enough from the others, but still close enough in case something happened. He wasn't comfortable with going off to A-block or B-block; to a completely different building. The gym seemed like the best choice. He entered, carrying a battery-operated lantern in one hand, crossbow in the other. He wasn't about to take any chances and wander off without a weapon. He stopped just past the doorway when he saw a light coming from the weight room.

Michonne was inside, at the bench press. When she saw Daryl she stopped and sat up. Daryl muttered that he thought the place was empty and turned to leave.

"I was just leaving," Michonne said, exiting the weight room and walking up to him. She looked at him for a moment, studying him.

"What the hell ya lookin' at?" Daryl asked with irritation.

Michonne shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, just trying to figure it out."

"What?"

"Why you're here…and not with her."

Michonne left the gym and headed to her cell for the night.

Daryl stood for a moment there, asking himself the same question. Why wasn't he with Alana right now?

Because she didn't want him, that's what he told himself. He'd just make a fool of himself if he tried to go and talk to her, if he tried to do anything.

No longer content with being in the gym, Daryl headed back to his cell. Alana was coming down the stairs, taking them one at a time. He was going to just keep on walking, right past her. But something caught his eye. He stopped, turning to the side to allow her to pass. He kept his head down but as she passed he saw the chain round her neck.

And the two rings that hung on it.

**Sorry for being late, we found a stray mama cat with two babies, and I mean BABIES that she wasn't taking care of. There were five all together, but three had died and she left them right there with the live ones! Poor babies had ants trying to eat them, so I took them in and have been caring for them. **

**I had planned on having everything up to the talk between Alana and Daryl in this chapter, but since I'm playing mama cat right now I'm pressed for time. So I wanted to go ahead and post what I had written. The rest should be done and up by Friday or Saturday. **

**Emberka-2012: Yup, the conversation will be in the next chapter (:**

**Mrskaz453: Oh just you wait, Carol will be trying to win Daryl over soon. **

**Zaii: I know! Her ignoring him is so sad ): But next chapter will see an end to it, I promise. **

**SaraLostInes: Thanks for all the help! **

**Limaro: LOL I love your suggestion for Carol, it's so casual how you mention it haha. And welcome! You've caught up on all the reading (: **

**GypsyWitchBaby: I love reading your reviews! I totally look back on them while writing (: **

**LadyLecter47: Thanks for your help! Decided to play down Alana's reaction since right now she's still trying to take it all in. But in the next chapter we'll see it hit her full force (: **

**KittyoftheNight: Yes, very true! You caught it! She didn't tell him to leave her cell. **

**iDon'tWannaLove: Lol prepare for more freakouts.**

**AngieInWonderland: Yes you're spot on. He does need to stop waiting. He just needs to go after her. **

**Eva: Welcome to the story! Yup, the reunion should take some time. As you can see, it's already begun a bit, but that by no means equals 100% happy reunion. These two still have a lot to work out. **

**Leyshla Gisel: Thank yee thank yee! **

**Emmalime: Thanks! Hehe yes sometimes I will skip sleep altogether just to get another chapter written. I've become addicted to the story myself (: **

**So again, I will do my very best to get the next chapter up by this weekend. I know exactly where it will be starting from (will pick up from the end of this chapter) and where it will end. See you all very soon! **


	42. Chapter 42

It was the end of the week and Alana had taken one of the night shifts. She sat outside looking over the field. She had spent the remainder of the week trying to avoid him, but she always found herself near Daryl. And she could have prevented it, but she didn't. Even when Carol was near she still stayed. She thought back over the past couple of days, after learning about what occurred in the gym with Daryl.

It suddenly felt like everything was different. There must have been a reason for what Daryl did. She found herself thinking about him more and more. Trying to understand him. Felt like she was just going round in circles though; asking the same questions, coming up with the same answers that led right back to the questions. She'd have enough though of going round in that circle. Of stealing glances at him. That's why she sat outside the prison at that moment, on watch. T-Dog had the first shift. Then Glenn. But Alana had timed it; going out an hour after Glenn took over his shift. Said she couldn't sleep and would take the shift for him. A chance to get some extra sleep was a huge luxury to Glenn and so he didn't even think twice about that fact that Daryl had the last shift of the night.

And so Alana sat out there, waiting for Daryl to come and take the last shift. She was tired of trying to get inside his head, trying to figure him out. Not knowing _why_ was driving her crazy.

She had questions and she would get the answers from him.

WDWDWDWD

It didn't go unnoticed by Daryl that there was a new pair of eyes following him around. Carol had slowly come around and it felt like she was always popping up wherever he was. The woman was refilling his glass during breakfast and dinner, washing his clothes, just always doing things that didn't require him to say anything. She was like a silent butler that only showed up when something was needed. Except he didn't need any of the things she did for him. He could do it all himself. But Daryl was so preoccupied with Alana that he didn't bother with telling her off, no matter how angry he was at her. Dumb bitch should have told him Alana had been with her, right behind her, and she didn't.

But after seeing that ring hanging around Alana's neck, it suddenly felt like there was a new pair of eyes following him. Alana's. He was never able to catch her, but he noted how she began popping up around him. Not all the time, but still, she was around him. She'd linger around, instead of leaving the room right away. And he found himself wanting to linger as well.

He knew it was stupid, allowing himself to have even a sliver of hope, all because of some silly ring. But he had seen it, he knew he had seen it. The same ring he had, for whatever reason, taken from that house. For her. And then he had tossed it away, giving up on her. Why would she have picked it up? Daryl had convinced himself that it didn't matter. Just seeing it…

He needed to talk to her.

If only he knew what to say. How to say whatever _it _was.

He hadn't said a word to her since seeing her on the stairs. And seeing the ring. Was taking him this long to come up with some sort of plan. Of how to approach her. He had been taking a night shift every day after seeing her on the stairs. Anything to get away from the others and be alone for a bit. To think. Didn't have a clue how he was going to explain to her everything he had done. Everything he hadn't done.

Daryl looked over at the wall clock he had nicked from one of the offices. Almost time for his shift.

Thirty minutes early wouldn't matter. He was sure Glenn would jump at the chance of thirty extra minutes of sleep.

Daryl gathered his gear and left the cell, heading down the steps and down the hall.

The doors to the prison were propped open with weights from the gym. As he stepped outside he looked to his left, where Dale had put the chair everyone sat in. Daryl's eyes immediately went to the ground even though Alana was staring out towards the fences.

"Couldn't sleep," she said quietly, still looking straight ahead, leaning forward in the chair. "Figured I'd come out here."

Daryl scratched his head.

He still didn't have a clue of what he was going to do. Hadn't planned on seeing her outside there. It felt like any progress he had made on preparing himself to talk with her went out the window the moment he saw her.

"Heard about what happened in the gym," Alana told him. The tone of her voice worried him slightly. It was so calm and with this air to it; reminded him of when they were interrogating Randall. "Why'd you do it? I've been trying to figure it out. Every answer I come up with…it isn't good enough."

Alana had sat out there, going over the entire talk in her head. What she would say to him, what he would say to her. Beginning to end, she had it all planned out in her head. But when he actually came out there, that whole blueprint just disappeared.

She looked up to him, but Daryl had his eyes to the ground. He took a shaky step back when Alana suddenly stood and came towards him.

"What are you? An idiot?" she asked with agitation. "Why…why would you do something so _stupid?_" She shoved him. Daryl began to speak. Alana cut him off the moment he started saying that he got cut off from the others. "Don't…lie to me. Hershel told me everything. _You_ cut yourself off the rest. You did it on purpose! Why? Just tell me why."

"Because I thought you were dead!" Daryl hissed at her, doing his best to keep his voice down. He could see as her eyes turned red and glossy. She shook her head.

"Dead? Thought I was dead? But…you never even looked for me. Did you?"

Daryl bit his lip, shaking his head.

He could practically hear as her hand cut through the air and slapped him across the face.

"You gave up on me," Alana told him quietly. "Admit it. You didn't think I could _ever_ make it on my own. Without Wilhelm. With _you_."

Daryl rubbed at the side of his face. He wasn't exactly expecting such a force to come out of her.

And then it was like she had slapped him again, with that thought. He hadn't expected that sort of strength to come from her. She was right. Alana was right, he had undersold her. Belittled her.

He looked slowly back over to her and nodded. Alana pursed her lips slightly.

"Well it's good to know if I actually really die you won't be too bothered by it."

"It ain't like that," Daryl said with an exasperated tone.

"Then tell me Daryl what's it like then," she snapped back, throwing her arms up in the air and shrugging her shoulders.

Daryl stepped back, leaning against the prison, hunched over just the tiniest bit. He had dropped his gear and was scratching at nonexistent itches on his arms. Looking down at his shoes, he wouldn't bring his eyes up to look at her. No matter what he said his words were going to hurt her.

"Was easier to think ya were dead. Gone. Thought it wouldn't hurt as much that way."

"And?" Alana said. "Did it? Not hurt as much."

Daryl took a deep swallow, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, and shook his head quickly. "Still hurt like hell. And they," he said, point towards the doors of the prison, "didn't do anything. Acted like ya and Andrea weren't even part of the group at all." He rubbed harshly at his eyes.

"I don't care what the others thought or what they did," Alana told him quietly.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like hours when both knew it could have only been perhaps a minute or two. Alana's eyes had dried, her cheeks no longer red. She sniffled, turning around to grab her things and leave. Daryl took a step towards her, shadowing her.

"I'm sorry," he said, but Alana wouldn't look back towards him. He grabbed at her, but she yanked her arm free from him and spun to face him. Her eyes were glassy.

"You think that fixes everything? You're sorry? It doesn't fix anything. It doesn't take away what you did. What you didn't do. You still left me behind." Alana was trying to keep her breaths even. "And I…I was so angry at you! I thought you…" She shook her head, ironically laughing. "I'm more stupid than you." She held up the chain around her neck. "Found this on the side of the road and I…I was an idiot and picked it up. Thinking, wanting to believe, it was yours." Daryl stared hard at the ring and the guilt only built up more in him. Alana let go of the chain. "Made up ridiculous fantasies in my head about it. But then I realized something. Whoever it did belong to, they'd tossed it away. And that just made…_this_ hurt even more. Thinking you had tossed me away."

It took Daryl a moment to find his voice and she was already heading into the hallway. He came to the doorway.

"It was. Me. I was gonna give it to ya. For your birthday."

He had his head down, not wanting to see it if she kept walking. But he could hear her quiet footsteps as she came back. She was biting the inside of her cheek. "Why?"

There was a sound inside the prison; maybe someone getting up to go to the restroom. Daryl reached out for her arm and pulled her back outside.

"Why?" she asked again.

"Thought ya would like it."

"And then you threw it away the moment you wrote me off as dead," Alana said bitterly.

The words were out of his mouth before he really had time to think them over.

"Why are ya wearing it still?"

She must have been caught off guard; she said nothing back to him.

Alana wouldn't look up at him. "Goodnight Daryl," she said and left, going back inside the prison. And he did nothing to stop her.

His head had remained empty the rest of the night. It wasn't until morning when he saw her in the cafeteria, the ring still on the chain, that he had his first thought.

He was going to get her back.

WDWDWDWD

Alana and Andrea stood in the large standalone garage, looking over everything. Day before the men had gone and opened the garage and greenhouse. For a change, they found no walkers in either. Made sense though; after the outbreak began the guards likely confined the inmates to their cells, not allowing anyone out. And when the reality hit of the situation's severity flipped the switch to let them all out. Hershel was in the greenhouse that day, along with Maggie and Carol, looking over what was inside. All the vegetation was dead, but the soil was still good. Hershel was going through the various seed packets stocked. He had the hope of starting some vegetable patches. But first they needed to clear things out and see what exactly they had on hand. The thought passed through his mind of going back to the farm to get supplies.

Sure enough, as Alana had thought, there was welding equipment in the garage. Along with everything else she thought they would need to sharpen the crowbars. She told Andrea they could use the welding torch to heat up the crowbars and then use some hammers to straighten them out.

After the explanation neither of the women took a step forward to pick up the equipment. Neither had ever messed with the stuff before; simply knew the basics. And truth be told, neither felt like going through all that trouble.

"I've heard T-Dog mention he used to do construction," Andrea offered.

Alana suggested they go find him then.

At the doors to the garage they could see the others outside though. Looked like some of them had gathered around Rick and Glenn. The two had the riot gear on.

"There aren't that many," they could roughly hear Rick telling the group.

"Someone else should go out there with you still," Lori was telling him. She was likely glaring at the others, expecting someone to step up.

"We'll be fine," Rick told her.

Daryl was there, towards the back of the group. When Lori kept saying that someone else should go out there he turned round, looking across the yard. He hadn't seen Alana. But he saw her inside the garage. As he spotted her she pulled back into the garage, along with Andrea.

As he started walking away from the group he could hear Rick saying something about T-Dog and Axel walking between the fences to lure the walkers away so that he and Glenn could get outside and come up behind them. Hopefully that would shut Lori up. Whether it did or didn't he had no clue. He quickly found himself at the garage. Soon as he walked in he forgot the reason for going in there.

Alana and Andrea were back at the welding equipment, picking different bits up.

"What are ya'll doing in here?" he asked as he approached them.

Andrea gave a quick glance towards Alana and then answered Daryl, telling him of their plan for the crowbars. "Thought we would ask T-Dog if he could do the welding. I remember him saying he used to do construction."

Daryl picked up one of the crowbars, turning it in his hand. It wasn't a bad idea. Was actually a good idea. Others probably would have just opted to snap the bottoms off mops and sharpen the ends. Would have been easier with the wooden sticks, but those could easily break.

"I can do it," Daryl told them. The two women looked at them. Daryl stole a glance at Alana.

"You know how to weld?" Andrea asked.

He nodded. "Worked on houses, cars, pretty much anything. Know a bit of everything." Daryl looked over the equipment. "You got the crowbars?" Andrea looked around.

"We left them in the C-block…I'll go get them." Andrea kept her head down and left, turning around for a second to see Alana and Daryl looking everywhere else except at each other. She was glad to be out of there. She did not what to be in there if the shit hit the fan. As far as she was aware, the two of them still hadn't spoken to each other. Properly spoken to each other.

Daryl looked over to Alana, eyeing her neck. The chain was still there.

"Your idea?" he asked her, putting down his crossbow and moving the equipment around, setting things up. Alana nodded her head. "We'll have to tell Rick we need him to turn the generators on so we can actually use this stuff."

Alana looked towards the opened garage doors. Gates had been opened. Rick and the others were likely already on the outside. "Or we could turn it on ourselves," she offered.

Daryl was thrown off by her suggestion. _We?_ After the night before, the confrontation, he wasn't entirely sure where they stood with each other. He knew he wanted her back, but hadn't determined what his starting point was with her. _We._ She'd never answered him, about why she chose to continue wearing the ring and after seeing it that morning, He kept telling himself that there was a reason behind it all. Perhaps this was her offering of an olive branch between them.

Andrea returned with the crowbars and Daryl quickly sent her back off, to the kitchens, saying it'd help if he had some large pots with water in them to toss the crowbars in. With a slightly raised brow she headed off.

Daryl led Alana to B-block, where the generator was located. She hadn't been inside it yet. Was pretty much the same setup as the other two buildings except some differing rooms. She said nothing to him as they made their way through the building and into the generator room. Once it was flipped on, the two left just as quietly as they had entered. Waiting back inside the garage was Andrea, who had filled a large pot with water and set it on the ground. Holding a breath in, Daryl turned on the welder. The harsh hum it gave off was a welcomed sound. Picking up a welding helmet and other needed supplies he looked over his shoulder at the two women.

"Should probably get outta here," he told them. "Rick comes in here bitchin' bout draining the power, I'll tell him it was my idea."

Alana turned and headed out, but Andrea paused for a moment, looking from Daryl to her. The two women passed by Lori as she was walking over to the garage, a stern look on her face.

"What's going on in there?"

Alana looked back without a care. "Daryl's welding something." And with that she kept walking past Lori. Andrea followed behind. Taking a peek back, they saw her going into the garage. She'd probably then run off to Rick and tell him as soon as he came back inside.

Alana headed up to her cell for a while, planning on not coming out till around lunch time. Andrea came by though, leaning against the wall, arms crossed.

"What's up with you and Daryl?" she asked, looking out over the railing.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, he spoke to you, so something must have happened."

"Nothing's happened."

Andrea rolled her eyes, pushing herself off from the wall and left. She passed Daryl on the stairs who stopped to show her one of the crowbars. He had straightened out the one end and sharpened the other. And he had found lumber somewhere and cut it off in chunks, shoving the crowbar through it. Now they wouldn't slip right through the fence.

"You should go show Alana," Andrea quickly suggested, moving along. She turned around just a bit to see if Daryl was still standing in the same spot on the stairs. He was, staring down at the crowbar.

_Nothing happened my ass_, Andrea thought.

Alana shortly thereafter looked up from her book to see Daryl. He held up the crowbar, but didn't come into her cell. Alana put the book down and walked over to him, taking the crowbar and looking it over.

"Ain't fancy, but it'll get the job done," Daryl told her. She nodded. She asked about the other crowbars. "Got them done too."

"Saw Lori heading into the garage," Alana commented.

"Yeah, bitchin' bout using the generators. Went off and told Rick."

Alana smirked. She handed the crowbar back to him, but he shook his head.

"Keep it." Daryl looked over her shoulder, seeing a small pile of bottles and IV bags on the top bunk. "What's all that for?" he asked. He had to keep himself from pushing past her, wanting to know what it was for, what was wrong with her.

Alana turned to the pile. "Hershel brought them by today." She walked over and picked one of the IV bags up. "Said I need to keep taking it. He's right. Have to make sure the infection is gone for sure." She saw the confusion on Daryl's face; he had no clue what she was talking about. "My knee. Tore it up and got an infection. I'd been taking these," she said as she held up a bottle of medication, "but really isn't a great idea to take only this. So, he brought me these as well." She picked the IV bag back up.

During the day she took the medication and at night she put in the IV. Daryl then saw the bag that hung from the bunk, half of it gone. He suddenly felt the need to get out of there. She had to take all that medication because of him. He mumbled that he would see her at dinner and quickly left.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl had gone missing at the start of dinner. Alana sat with Andrea, Michonne, and Axel. The old man had invited himself to sit with them. They figured he had followed Michonne over to their table. Though none of them believed he had any intentions towards her; with what they knew of him they were pretty sure he was just making sure someone had his ass covered. And it wasn't like the rest of the group was anymore friendly to him.

Alana looked over to the table that Daryl usually sat at. Dale was there, already eating his food. There was another plate there as well, filled with food. She had seen Carol come by and set it down. She turned back before she could see the stare Carol sent her way. It was filled with spite and malice, but coming from her, it was like watching a mouse try to be a lion.

A few minutes later Daryl came walking in. He passed by Alana to get himself a drink. He didn't give her a pause or glance.

After dinner Daryl headed outside for the first shift of the night. He grabbed his things from his cell and made for the hallway, pausing just a bit as he saw Alana begin the climb up the stairs. He then turned around and kept walking.

When Alana walked into her cell she halted. There next to the bunk was an IV stand. Her thoughts moved instantly to the dinner, how Daryl had been late. And the look on his face when she was explaining all the medications. He had even hooked the IV bag from the bunk onto the stand.

Even if someone else had been in that cell with her, they wouldn't have been able to see the minute smile that crept onto her lips.

**I finished the chapter! Yay! **

**So for the next couple of chapters I'm pretty much going to be winging it, don't really have anything solid set out to happen. So we'll see how that goes. **

**Goal is to get the next chapter up by Thursday. With these two kittens my freetime has been drastically been cut short, so I'll do my best to stay on schedule. **

**Emberka-2012: Yup, I kept trying to figure out what would the be starting point and Daryl seeing the ring just seemed like the best option to go with. **

**Mrskaz453: Lol your reviews are always so awesome! Go mother a walker? That's epic. I will have to seriously find some way to slide that into a conversation. Yup, kittens are doing good, I'm waiting for a foster home to open up, but I'm on a waiting list of like 10 people. Yikes! **

** : Thanks so much! I've been doing my best to keep Alana from being cliché or a mary-sue. That's one reason why I started writing the story, was so tired of seeing the same old storylines popping up. **

**Zaii: Haha, well it's past Friday, but at least it's finally done! Gonna start working on an outline for the next chapter so I can get to writing it. **

**AngieInWonderland: Yup, it totally shows that he didn't just move on. I think she realizes that, but at the same time the fact remains that he "gave up" and that's hard for her to get over. But that also shows just how much she cares for him. So it's a damn tricky little dance those two are doing haha. **

**SaraLostInes: Yeah I had it first where Maggie was the one that told Alana about the gym, but I just didn't like it. I couldn't get it to a point where I was happy with how Maggie told her, she kept coming off as too emotional for my liking. Plus I thought it would be good if Hershel told her because he would be very calm about it, which would allow for the buildup to Alana snapping at Daryl. **

**LadyLecter47: Haha yeah it's lots of fun to write about Axel. He's how I get my snarky comments in. Kittens are doing well, just waiting for a foster home for them. I already have four indoor cats and probably about 20 strays that we've gotten fixed. They're all too feral to be taken to a shelter unless they just killed them, so we take care of them ourselves instead. **

**iDon'tWanaLove: haha sorry but don't die yet! There's still more story to read! **

**Limaro: Yup Daryl totally has to be the one that makes all the moves. And don't worry, they've just begun too (: Next chapter will be all about redemption. **

**Leyshla Gisel: Well he hasn't exactly grown those balls yet haha, but he's getting there. Now that he knows she still cares he's gonna start making his move. **

**KittyoftheNight: Well he didn't toss his stuff in her cell yet, but hey, he brought her that IV bag stand! And did those crowbars for her. It's a start. **

**GypsyWitchBaby: Total thumbs up to your review lol. **

**Iiceangel3.o: Thanks so much! **

**Ambray: That is so weird! I was totally thinking, man something must have happened to her laptop haha. And I was right! Let me know when you've caught up and I'll let you in on my ideas for the next chapter (: **


	43. Chapter 43

**I'm back! **

**Hard drive crashed and so I lost everything ): But thankfully the computer geeks were able to recover everything so yay! **

**Wanted to make this chapter longer, but figured I might as well just post it now so that you can all have something to read for the time being. **

**Will get the next chapter up as soon as possible. It will likely be about the same length as this one and then the one after that will be back full-length. **

A couple of days went by and Daryl found himself alone with Hershel in the greenhouse. The old man had been going in there everyday, clearing things out and sorting through the supplies. He'd spoken with Rick about going back to the farm later in the week. He had no intentions of going back there permanently. He wanted to collect any and all supplies that they could potentially use at the prison. He wanted to be prepared once crop season came. In the meantime, they could at least use the greenhouse to grow some winter crops; broccoli, carrots, celery, potatoes. There were a few leafy greens they could try as well and all the root vegetables were fair game.

When Daryl entered the greenhouse it took him a moment to spot Hershel. He was hunched over a table in the back, scribbling on a piece of paper. The place was huge, as big as the cellblock, with a ceiling nearly the same height. Daryl made his way down the rows of dirt to the back. Looked like Hershel had finished cleaning out the dead plants and preparing new soil.

"Making a shopping list?" Daryl asked with a bit of a huff. He looked around at the state of the greenhouse. Had to be said that the old man was seeing to keeping himself busy.

"As a matter of fact," Hershel commented, "I am." He continued to write down what all he'd be needing from the farm. Daryl added that the stores were closed, didn't know where he expected to find whatever it was that he wanted. Hershel told him of his plan to go back to the farm to collect supplies. He showed little interest; Hershel quickly got the sense that Daryl hadn't come there to talk about crops.

"Why she still taking all that medicine?"

There was frustration in his words.

Hershel put the pencil down and turned round to look at him. "Immune system's weaker. Takes her longer to recover." He could see that Daryl wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Since you all came to the farm she's been unwell in some way. She's taken a beating and now that we have more than enough medical supplies, I just want to make sure that she's finally able to fully recover." Hershel turned back round to his list. "Blood infections are a serious matter. Thankfully she knew what was happening and took the proper precautions. But she needs to continue taking those medications. Just because the signs of infection are gone doesn't the infection is gone. I've already told her. She can stop the medication at the end of the week."

Daryl stood there for a few seconds after Hershel finished speaking and then turned and left without a word.

Hershel was right. They hadn't been at the farm very long before the two of them went out checking the houses and then…he was reminded of the scar on her back. The one that was because of him. The mangled skin on her knees. The fact that those stitches kept tearing on the one because of him. _Because of him_. Those seemed to be piling up.

He kept an eye on her, watching her during breakfast and dinner. Now that everyone was feeling it was okay to become settled at the prison, not everyone was showing up in the mornings for breakfast. There was no need to call everyone together for lunch and so people had just been grabbing what they needed, if they wanted anything. Now it was the same for breakfast. At first they all went to the cafeteria in the morning because it made them feel safe. This place was still new to them and they were wary. It was becoming apparent to them that the situation at the prison was under control and so those who were not morning people had stopped coming to breakfast. Or they would just stop by to grab something small to eat and leave.

Alana was one of them. The day after speaking with Hershel she hadn't come by for breakfast. Others that had opted out of the morning ritual were Maggie, T-Dog, and Andrea. When Daryl had entered the cafeteria Michonne was sitting alone, but after grabbing his food and turning back around he saw that Dale had sat down with her. He passed by Carol without a glance and headed to the table, taking a seat across from Dale. He did his best to eat quickly.

Though four of them weren't present, Rick told the group of Hershel's plan about going back to the farm. It seemed appropriate though; would they really want to discuss that plan with Alana and Andrea present? Daryl's attention faded in and out as Rick rambled on with his little speech. It was like he was trying to rouse hope out of them, saying how they had a good thing here at the prison, but they couldn't expect to live out of cafeteria. At some point the food would run out. The old world they lived in wasn't an easy one, only seemed like it was. And now this new one was going to be a challenge. They had to stick together and plan ahead. Daryl was strongly considering getting up with his bowl and leaving so that he didn't have to listen anymore. This is what Rick always did. He was every cliché monumental speech in every underdog film there was. If this group needed a crap speech to get them off their asses, well then Daryl didn't have much hope in their future as a group.

Rick was fleshing things out, trying to convince everyone that it was safe enough to go back to the farm. He wasn't doing very well. Lori and Carol were against it. Carl wanted to come along. Axel and Michonne kept quiet.

"There's valuable supplies back there," Hershel told them. "Now we can make do with what we have here, but it would be foolish to not go back to the farm and get what we left behind."

His words resonated harshly within everyone. _Foolish to not go back and get what they left behind._ They had left Alana and Andrea behind. The guilt could be seen creeping up into their eyes.

"Now I know where everything is and what it is that we need," Hershel said. "So I volunteer to go." Glenn quickly added his voice. Maggie wouldn't want both of them to go, but at the same time she'd feel that much better knowing that neither would be on their own.

"Anyone else want to volunteer?" Rick asked. He gave a quick glance to Lori. There was irritation in it. While he didn't want to go and leave her and Carl behind, he also didn't want to send others off while he remained at the prison.

"I'll go," Michonne said looking down at her bowl. She admitted to herself that she was a bit curious to see what this farm looked like. After her, Axel spoke up. He was curious about what the outside world looked like now. Seeing pictures on the television wasn't the same as seeing with your own eyes.

Without much thought Daryl raised his voice. "When we going?" He could just feel that wide-eyed stare on his back coming from Carol.

Rick thought for a moment before answering. "I'll talk with Alana and Andrea. Ask them which road they think will be best to take. We'll plan for tomorrow."

Knowing what the plan was, Daryl got up and dumped his bowl in the kitchens and left.

Rick having a talk with Alana. And Andrea. Daryl shook his head. He could hear Andrea in her cell, moving around. As he headed up the stairs she came out, walking towards the hall that eventually led to the gym. For the past couple of days she had been going there, using the exercise equipment. Michonne had been joining her as well. Alana was mostly sticking to her cell or wandering over to the library. Whenever Dale had patrol during the day she'd join him, sitting up in one of the guard towers. Both Dale and Hershel had protested her going up all those stairs.

Daryl looked back downstairs to make sure no one had come into the cellblock and could see him. He quickly walked past his own cell and into Alana's, where he suddenly slowed his steps. Alana only spared him a quick movement of her eyes as Daryl came to lean against the wall across from the bunks.

Alana herself was sitting on the bottom bunk, tying up her boots. She had been awake for some time, but was only now getting out of bed. She was a pariah and she'd use that to her advantage for the time being. The world had been the way it was for almost a year now and in that year Alana didn't believe she had slept for more than a month in total. She never realized how much she missed sleep until now.

Daryl looked at the top bunk, to the pile of medical bottles and IV bags. There was only one of the latter left. A second one, under half full, hung on the IV stand.

"Ya almost done?" Daryl asked. He nodded towards it when Alana looked to him for clarification. She eyed the stand for a second before looking down to her arm. She had switched arms, the needle now in her right wrapped up in bandages. She nodded to Daryl.

Looking over the cell, Daryl didn't see any bottle of water. He instantly began wondering if she had taken whatever medication she had to take in the morning. During dinner the night before he had overheard Hershel asking her if she was being faithful and taking the medications he'd given her twice a day. Daryl made a quick exit to his cell where he grabbed a water and brought it back for her. He handed it over.

Alana could hear him mumble about taking the meds Hershel had given her. It was bad enough the world had gone to shit, just made things worse if you were sick during it all. As she began to stand Daryl came forward and started grabbing the bottles on the top bunk, trying to look at the labels on them. He didn't know which ones she needed, so he held his arms out and she picked out the two bottles she needed. He put the others back and when she handed the last two over to him he turned them over to read the drug names on them.

"Hershel's taking a group back to the farm," Daryl said carefully, watching her face for any reaction. "Wants to bring back stuff. Old man wants to start planting crops." He left out the bit about Rick deciding he'd be coming by later to speak with her and Andrea. If he could get the information needed he could cut Rick completely out of the equation. "Which way ya take to get out?" Daryl asked her.

"Main one. It'll be a bit bumpy." Alana was thinking of the walkers that had been downed by the group and by herself and Andrea.

"Any damage, beside the barn?"

Shane's contorted corpse flashed through Alana's head. The line of graves under the trees. She shook her head. "Couple of walkers had wandered into the house. We dealt with them. Locked the door before we left. Guess you'll have to get the keys from Andrea." Alana stood up and walked over to the corner to grab her gear. "Who's going?"

Daryl told her of the small group that was going, himself included.

Alana paused at the entrance to her cell, looking over her shoulder. "Got a busted tire near Shane's car. There's still gasoline left in it. I'll ride along with you guys. Fill Shane's car and head back here."

She didn't wait for a reply from him. She left the cell, heading for the guard tower outside; T-Dog was on watch at the moment. Dale was finding himself plagued with freetime. He was so used to being on watch during the days, but now Alana was always beating him to it. Though in her state, there wasn't much she could do. Best option was to have her on lookout. And it gave her the chance to be away from everyone. As she passed the cafeteria she could hear footsteps come out behind her, but they never followed her down the hall.

Rick had seen her pass by and walked quickly to catch her before she disappeared up in the tower. A sharp whistle caught his attention and he turned round to see Daryl coming up behind him. Both men looked down the hall although Alana had already gone from sight.

"Main road's clear," Daryl told him.

Rick arched an eyebrow. "She tell you that?"

"Yeah. She did. Said nothing else was damaged, side from the barn." He told Rick that the women had locked the house up. "Andrea has the keys." Rick nodded, deciding that he'd head to the gym and ask Andrea about them. Daryl didn't stop him or tell him that Alana planned on going with them, to get Shane's car and bring it back. What should it matter to him anyways? Rick, their fearless leader, was staying behind. He had a moment where he doubted that Lori would care that Alana was going with them, at least for part of the trip. Crazy woman would likely dare to sigh in relief.

Not really wanting to be found for the rest of the day, Daryl headed to the greenhouse. He knew Hershel would be in there, but that didn't bother him. The old man, unlike Dale, knew when to just keep his mouth shut and let things be. Sure enough when he reached the greenhouse, there was Hershel, sitting in the corner making more lists; he was drawing up plans for how much of each crop they could grow during the winter. Apparently there was a some sort of fine science and list-making when it came to crops. Daryl didn't have a clue about any of it. If he could hunt it then he knew it. And in his experience, hunting didn't take as long as planting and waiting for crops did.


	44. Chapter 44

**Here's another chapter!  
>It is so good to finally have my laptop back! I had been going crazy trying to surf the internet using just my phone. Upside to my hard drive crashing though: Apple gave me a brand new laptop (: Of course, I had to sit around without it for a while since I had to wait for the old hard drive to be recovered and loaded onto the new hard drive, and then put into the new laptop. So lots of waiting and staring at an empty desk. <strong>

**Oh and for those who asked, the kittens are doing well. One of the stray females that we had spayed and lives on the property has taken to caring for them because she's just cool like that. We may decide to keep them, haven't decided yet. **

As Alana finished her ascent of the stairs in the guard tower T-Dog met her at the top, likely hearing her coming as she used her rifle as a cane to help her up each step. The stairs rose in a spiral. T-Dog stood at the top; at the center was a small room with useless computers and phonelines. It at least had a clear view all the way around. There was a walkabout outside circling the small room. During the summer it would be appreciated by those on watch. With the cold weather that was creeping further into their bones lately, they also appreciated the small room. T-Dog held the door open as Alana climbed the last steps and entered the room. Her head was down, looking at her feet; with as many steps as there were one expected the climb to never end. Alana dropped her gear on the floor and reached out for one of the rolling chairs, taking a seat.

"Saw three walkers come out. Just over there. Haven't gotten far yet," T-Dog told her as he grabbed his stuff and headed for the door. Alana looked out where he had pointed, lifting her binoculars. There were three of them. Without any movement within their sight they moved at a slow, lazy pace. A handful of walkers had gathered at the fences, but their commotion seemed to have not caught the attention of the three walkers out in the field. If they got closer it would. Alana figured if no one headed out there soon she'd go down and take care of the lot with her crossbow. There was no need to let them gather up against the fences. No point in saving the task for the next day. Next day there might be more that show up.

"Sending a group out tomorrow," Alana told T-Dog while he stood in the doorway.

"To do what?"

"Head back to the farm, bring some stuff back. Group's already been picked out." Alana spun slowly round in her chair to face him. "You get to stay here and protect the women folk."

T-Dog snorted. "Shit. I don't mind. Means I get to sleep in." He laughed.

Alana's attitude of late left much to be desired. Her actions as well. Or lack thereof. While the entire group didn't keep their distance from her (and Andrea and Michonne) no one exactly went out of their way to interact with her. It was like within the group there were splinter cells. In one grouping there was Alana, Andrea, and Michonne. In another there was Dale and Daryl. Another was Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn. Then Axel and T-Dog. And lastly, Rick, Lori, and Carol. Carl was placed within the last group by default. The entire group was walking around on eggshells, but some treaded more carefully than others. Some avoided the area all together. It was still difficult to return to the semblance of normality the group had once had, before coming to the prison. And so the eggshells remained littering the floor. Rick and those with him stayed away from the shells. The Greene's and Glenn would stand at the edge, watching. Dale and Daryl would step cautiously, trying to make as little noise as possible while stepping on the eggshells. Axel and T-Dog on the other hand, they well on stomped all over the place. Axel was just as alienated as the three women and T-Dog, though he had been shocked by the actions of Alana and Andrea towards Carol, he had enough sense to listen to that voice in the back of his head that said _woman had it coming_. Sure, he felt bad for Carol, but he wasn't about to step up and be her bodyguard. This group would either survive together or they would die alone. There was no time for taking sides in fights; there needed to be only one side, one group.

With a wave of his hand T-Dog headed down the stairs, leaving Alana to herself. She opened up the pack she had brought with her, taking out a book, _The Once and Future King_, and began reading. Her eyes would dart up from the pages to peer over the field, keeping an eye on the road and the edge of the trees. The windows were large and low enough that she could remain sitting and still see the area around the prison. She'd casually push herself around the room on the chair, eyes darting up from the pages.

She had seen Hershel head off towards the greenhouse. He was spending a lot of time in there as of late. She saw Daryl go in there as well. With the way he looked over his back as he headed towards the building, Alana guessed that he was going in there to hide possibly. The only person Daryl willingly spent time with was her. Had been her. And so he had to be hiding out in the greenhouse.

Some hours went by and she remained up in the guard tower. Daryl had yet to come out from the greenhouse. Alana had seen Carol come out from C-block and head over to the greenhouse. She did not remain inside for long. As she passed by the guard tower Alana could see her head turn upwards. She did not doubt the cold stare that likely sat in her eyes. As she disappeared back into C-block Michonne came out, making for the guard tower. Eventually she made it to the top of the stairs and came into the room, taking a seat.

She gave a low whistle. "Nice view." She looked over the fields and down to the fences where the walkers had piled up. "Well…" Both women smirked. The view was nice, for the most part. Michonne began telling Alana about the outing to the farm the next day.

"I know."

Michonne arched her brow. "Who told you?"

"Daryl."

"Figures," Michonne said under her breath. Alana turned in her chair, away from the window, her face asking the question _what does that mean?_ Michonne chuckled, shaking her head. "That boy has eyes for you. Follows you round like a puppy dog."

Alana said nothing on the matter.

"Rick came and spoke to Andrea."

"He dared venture into the leper colony?" Alana remarked. Michonne laughed.

"Well he did try to make his talk quick and leave. Of course, Andrea ripped his head off before he could. He came asking for those keys to the house. Told her about the trip tomorrow. Don't think she's upset about staying behind."

"So why did she rip his head off?"

Michonne smiled. "Fool started going on about how those staying behind would have to pick up the slack, that we might have to stay out there at the farm for the night. He tries to just walk away then, and Andrea, she says, 'Never had a problem picking up the slack, there's a lot of it. Maybe you should be telling that to Lori instead of me.' So, of course Rick then spits back, wanting to know what the hell she means by that. 'We all know she's a professional when it comes to shouting for Carl 'cause she doesn't have a damn clue where he is. Wonder if she's shit with a gun or not. We all know she's shit with driving a car. Only damn person driving on the road and she still manages to crash.' Rick didn't have anything to say to that and so he left."

Alana couldn't help but laugh. As much as it didn't help them any to react that way towards Rick, it still felt good to know that the man had been put in his place.

"Well, I'll be going along with you, at least to where we ran into you. Going to fuel up the other car and drive it back here. We left a couple cans of gasoline back there. Sure we could use them."

"Taking Andrea with you?"

Alana shook her head. "And leave everyone else here helpless?" She smiled. "She has a good eye. I'll need her up here while I'm gone. Just in case."

Michonne nodded her head. "Just make sure you two don't start a mutiny before I get back. Lepers can have manners too." The two women laughed at the comment. Michonne perked up a bit, looking out the window towards the greenhouse. "What I tell you, puppy dog," she said, standing up and heading for the stairs.

Alana rolled over to where Michonne had been sitting and looked out the windows. Daryl was walking over to the guard tower. Looking down at her watch she saw that it was nearly 5. She really had been up there all day. And the walkers were still pushing up against the fences. She needed to go down there and deal with them.

Daryl reached the small room and looked round. He bit his bottom lip and took a seat in chair Michonne had been using.

"Don't ya get tired, sitting up here all day?" he asked her.

Alana held up her book.

"What happened to midgets and guts and tits?"

"They didn't have it in the library," Alana told him.

There was a silence between them.

"Might stay the night. Over at the farm," Daryl told her.

"I know."

"Don't go tackling any walkers, or running through the woods. Won't have Hershel here to patch ya back up."

Alana smiled weakly. "Not sure there's anything left of me to fall apart."

Daryl didn't know what to say to that, if there was anything that could be said. He looked to the table space in front of Alana. There were two bar wrappers on it. She hadn't eaten breakfast. Nor had she come down to grab something for lunch.

"They're fixing dinner. Might as well go get some. I ain't hungry right now."

Without a word Alana stood from her chair, rifle in hand to help her down the stairs. Daryl remained seated for a moment and then stood up. He knew what it was like to have a bummed leg and trying to go down stairs. Going up was always easier. And he didn't care if she became angry with him, he just needed to touch her.

Alana stopped on the stairs to look back and saw Daryl coming down the stairs. "They're gonna eat all the damn food before ya ever get down there," he muttered. He took the rifle from her, slinging it over his shoulder and then crouched down a bit. "Best hurry before I get my dignity back." For a moment he thought it was all a big mistake, but then Alana stepped forward and pulled herself onto his back. The staircase was a bit narrow, but because she was a tiny thing, a hobbit Daryl thought, it wasn't too difficult to make his way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom he was thankful to see that no one was outside C-block. Alana slid down back to the floor and took the rifle from Daryl. She gave him a nod of her head and then headed off.

Daryl stayed up in the guard tower till 9PM when Dale came to take the first night shift. He had watched as Alana and Michonne came out to deal with the walkers at the fences. Andrea joined them. They used the crowbars he had welded. Glenn came out to help open the gates so they could move the bodies out of the way for the morning. Afterwards Alana had begun walking over to the guard tower, but Daryl waved her off. She headed back into C-block with the others. After Dale had come up Daryl went to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. He made himself a bowl of noodles and sat at one of the tables. As he was finishing up Carol came in and sat with him.

She asked if he wanted something else, that she would have made him something if he had asked. He brushed her off, saying he was fine with the noodles.

"You'll be careful out there tomorrow?" she asked, although it sounded more like a plea.

Daryl didn't have to answer her. Alana came in at that moment, carrying two empty water bottles. There was a rattling noise in her pants' pocket. Carol tried staring at her, but ended up hanging her head down as Alana passed their table. She went back into the kitchens, to the sinks. There she filled her bottles up and came back out to the dinning area. She set the bottles down so that she could reach into her pocket and pull out two medications. As she took out the pills she asked Daryl a question.

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?"

Alana figured that Daryl would be the group leader for tomorrow.

"Getting up at 8:30. Wanna leave by 9."

Alana took her pills, putting the bottles back in her pocket and grabbing the water. She nodded her head and left the cafeteria.

"She's going with you?" Carol asked the moment she was gone.

"Gonna bring back Shane's car," Daryl told her without bothering to look up from his bowl. She started to say something. Daryl wasn't paying attention. He was done with his meal. "Ya mind? Some of us gotta wake up early." He left his bowl on the table and left the cafeteria.

Part of him wanted to go back in there and slap her. Call her out for the stupid bitch that she was. But he figured that wouldn't look too well on him, beating up a woman. He'd never hit a woman before in his life. It frightened him slightly that the thought of hitting Carol came so easily to him. He never wanted to actually do it, but still. The thought was there. Best if he just did what he could to ignore her.

Daryl went up to his cell. Checking the clock, it was almost 10. He walked over to Alana's cell. She was setting up the IV bag. She looked at him for a second.

"Need any help?" Daryl asked, but she told him no. He tried to think of something else to say so that he didn't have to go back to his cell so soon. "Your watch still work?" Alana nodded. "Ya mind waking me up? Mine ain't got a alarm."

"Yeah. Sure. What time did you want to wake up?" Alana asked as she connected the tubing from the IV bag. She tapped at the drop chamber and watched as the fluid slowly made its way down the tube and into her arm.

Daryl stared at her arms. There weren't many, but her arms were still riddled with needle marks.

"8:30. 8:30 is fine," he told her.

Alana fidgeted with her watch. "8:30 it is then. Goodnight," she said.

Daryl hesitated. "Night."

Back in his cell he sat on the bottom bunk, staring at the floor. He had the small battery operated lantern turned on low. Biting at his thumb, Daryl stood and walked over to pick it up. He held it up as he dug through a pile of belongings. At the bottom was a thick book. He took it back to the bunk and sat against the wall, lantern at his side, as he opened it up, looking for the correct page. It was a hardcover and so the page numbers were different, but it didn't take him long to find where he had left off.

The prison library _did_ indeed have a copy of _A Game of Thrones_. Daryl still remembered where he and Alana had stopped reading together and where she had stopped reading on her own.

Daryl stayed up, reading, wanting to catch back up with Alana.

WDWDWDWD

He could hear her alarm go off in the other cell, but Daryl chose to stay in bed. Even when she came into his cell he didn't stir, waiting until after she shook his shoulder. He rolled over and rubbed at his eyes.

"It's that time," she said, leaning on the IV stand. Daryl nodded. Alana shuffled her way back into her cell where she prepared for the day.

Everyone was on autopilot it seemed. Each knew their role for the day. All had woken up early, so as to see the group off. As Alana was eating breakfast Rick came over to the table.

"You going with them?" he asked.

Alana stole a glance over towards Carol.

"To get Shane's car and bring it back."

Rick looked like he wanted to argue over her intentions. Andrea put her bowl down at the table and took a seat. Rick looked quickly at her.

"Alright," he said. "Just make it quick."

"I'll need you up in the tower, Alana told Andrea soon as Rick had walked away. Andrea began to protest about being left behind. She didn't want Alana to be on her own for the drive back. "Three best shots here are you, me, and Daryl." Andrea didn't argue over that.

"You should still take someone else with you," Andrea said.

Alana sighed and looked over her shoulder.

"I'll take Maggie. _If _she wants to go. If not, I'm going on my own."

As it turned out, Maggie did want to go. It gave her another chance to see her father and Glenn off. The group prepared packs, in case they had to stay the night at the farm. They'd be taking the suburban and truck. If they could, Hershel wanted to hitch up a trailer to the truck so they could bring a larger load back.

Alana was packed and ready quickly. She waited in her cell till the others were ready. Andrea came to get her when they were. Those remained behind saw the others off, but Alana was quick to get into the suburban. Andrea held the door open for her.

"You best hurry your ass up out there," she told Alana.

Alana smiled, looking over Andrea's shoulder. She could see Carol.

"Try not to kill any of them. At least till I get back," she joked.

Andrea laughed and stepped back from the suburban, allowing the others to get in. Dale came forward. He didn't say anything, but smiled at Alana and nodded his head. Alana saw Maggie walking over to the truck; Hershel and Glenn were already in it, waiting for her. Axel and Michonne sat in the back of the suburban. Daryl was the last to get in, taking the driver's seat while Alana sat in the passenger's.

The gates were opened and the two vehicles drove off.

When they reached Shane's car, everything was as they had left it. The group quickly got out and formed a perimeter while Glenn and Axel removed the gasoline cans from Alana's car and placed them in Shane's car. The fuel in the tank was removed as well and Shane's was filled up. The entire process took perhaps five minutes.

"Ready," Glenn said.

Alana watched as Maggie embraced her father and Glenn. She looked over at Michonne who nodded her way as she began walking back to the suburban. Alana followed after her, reaching inside to grab her pack. Walking over to Shane's car, she rounded the back and saw Daryl standing there, holding the driver's door open. He opened the back door so she could toss her pack behind her seat.

He tried to think of what to say. "I'll be back soon." He knew the words were hollow, that they meant nothing to her, but he could prove their worth by coming back.

Alana did nothing more than nod her head. She pulled herself up into the driver's seat. Daryl took the chance to touch her again, grabbing her upper arm and giving her something to support her weight on.

"If we're not back by 8 then we're staying at the farm." Daryl looked up from her to see Maggie coming their way. He looked back to Alana for a second before stepping back and closing the door, walking away to the suburban.

It and the truck waited until Alana and Maggie had driven off before turning over their engines and heading down the road towards the farm.

**Next chapter will be all about what goes on at the farm and prison with the two groups, so that should be interesting (: **

**Let me know of your hopes and wishes for what happens with the two groups while at the farm and at the prison. I definitely don't see Rick being able to keep the peace for some reason hehe. **


	45. Chapter 45

In that moment, when they drove away, both knew the same thing and the cruelness of it. The group was going back to the farm, for supplies. But they didn't go back for Alana and Andrea.

Alana drove at a decent speed; neither wanted to turn the corner and find a surprise waiting for them. And…neither wanted to join Lori in crashing a car on an empty road. It took just under an hour to reach the prison. When they were roughly halfway, Maggie broke the silence.

"You think they'll come back today?" The tone her words took told Alana that Maggie already had an answer to her own question, but still wanted to hear it from someone else. Wanted to know if she was just being pessimistic or realistic.

Alana stared ahead at the road. "I'd prefer they come back today. Just…don't worry about it," she said when she looked over and saw the concern Maggie was trying to hide. "Either, tell yourself they'll be back or don't think about it at all."

She knew that her advice would do little for Maggie. She had tried not thinking about Daryl after the farm. Had moments where she told herself the group would come back. That Daryl would come back. Neither of those had worked. She still ended up cold and hard. And now, with what was left of the group rejoined at the prison, she still had a difficult time lying to herself that everything was okay or not thinking about how truly dysfunctional the group was.

Didn't matter what view you took; there was always something negative to be found.

Alana could feel Maggie looking over at her a few times, but she never said anything to her. Whatever she was thinking, whatever she wanted to say, she couldn't find the words for it all. And so she'd turn away, stare out the window.

"Might need your help later," Alana told her as the prison came into view. Maggie lifted her head. "Any walkers show up, we'll have to take care of them. Keep them from piling on the fences. It'll make it easier for the group when they get back."

Maggie nodded her head; it would be a good distraction for her…even though she knew at the same time she'd be looking down the road, waiting for the others to return. She could see then why Alana had given her the two options—convincing herself or distracting herself—because it was impossible to do just one.

Dale and T-Dog met them at the fences as they drove up, dragging the gates open to let them through. From up in the guard tower Andrea watched. Carl could be seen looking out from the tower room. There was no sign of Carol or Lori. Or Rick. Alana looked in the rearview mirror to see the gates close behind her.

She had the sudden feeling of being trapped.

As she parked the car beside the basketball court Rick came out from the prison; Lori and Carol behind him.

"Everything alright out there?" he asked as she and Maggie rounded the back of the car.

Alana looked out to the field. "World is still shit. Yes, everything was fine." She nodded to Maggie and began walking off, towards the prison.

"Where's the fuel you said you had?" Lori asked from behind Rick.

Alana stopped and turned to her, then to the car. "In the back. We'll divide it up after the others come back." She saw Lori's lips form into a thin line. In a calm, even voice, Alana said, "It was my fuel to begin with."

She didn't look back, walking to the guard tower. She met Carl on the stairs. Lori likely waved him down, not wanting him up there with her. Andrea could at least take some comfort in knowing that the woman disliked her just a bit less than she did Alana. Once at the top Alana found her in the room; she dropped her gear on the floor and took a seat. Andrea gave her a small nod of her head before returning to looking out the windows.

"How have you been sitting up here all those days?" Andrea asked her. She repositioned herself in her chair. No matter what she couldn't be rid of the itch to move.

Alana chuckled. "Guess I'm a bit used to it." She looked down to the prison grounds, seeing the others walking about. "And…it's better than being down there." Andrea could not argue with that. She had come up into the guard tower as soon as the cars drove off and hadn't come down. She was even a bit bothered when Carl came up, sure that Lori would be marching up the steps behind him, bickering and telling him to come back down. And when she didn't, well, Andrea wasn't surprised by that. She probably thought Carl was in the library or some other random room.

"So," Andrea began, "how long do you think we can stay up here before they think we're plotting to take over the prison?"

"Who says they don't think that already?"

The two laughed and joked a bit more. The two took turns moving about the room, watching the fields. One or the either would interrupt the conversation to say, "Walker." Both would note where the walker had emerged from, keeping an eye on it as it got closer to the prison. Carl was outside, playing basketball with Dale who was pointing him around on the court, telling him where and how to take a shot. Lori and Carol sat off to the side, folding clothes. T-Dog was walking the fences with Rick. Maggie must have been somewhere inside the prison. With all the movement, it didn't take long for the walkers to notice and their steps quickly gained purpose, for the prison.

Alana took a last look around, grabbing her gear and standing up. "Keep an eye out up here."

"Where you going?" Andrea asked.

"Take out those walkers. You see any miraculously pick up speed, give us a shout."

Alana walked up to the fence, putting her gear down, then headed inside the prison to find Maggie. She was in her cell, reading a book. It looked like she was trying to forget that Hershel and Glenn were gone. Looked like she was failing at it.

"Want to shoot something?" Alana asked with casualness.

WDWDWDWD

The ride to the farm was quiet. Everyone was on edge, hands griping their weapons, fighting against the need to blink. The rumble of the truck and suburban left everyone with unease. Most of all Daryl. He remembered driving up and down all those backroads with Alana, the rumble and growl of the engine drawing the attention of walkers. The group was constantly looking back, checking the road behind them. When they came across a walker on the road they would stop, two or more getting out to kill it. They didn't need a walker following after them, gaining the attention of more walkers.

They didn't need another herd.

It felt like even the vehicles quieted as they drove into the small town, as if they knew they were drawing closer to the farm.

Daryl cursed under his breath as they turned down the small road that led to the farm. The fallen walkers could already be seen littering it. With both vehicles being a ways up from the ground, the group drove them over the bodies. To try and drive around them would have been too tedious. There was something ungodly, the sound of bones crushing under rubber, and the way the vehicle would jerk as it rose and fell over a body. There were a few moments when the tires would spin, having become slick with blood and organs. The group did their best to keep looking straight ahead.

Coming out into the opening and seeing the farm, none of them were prepared for it. It was like cancer; the farm was a mere shade. Some of them had dared to hope, to believe, that it was possible to return permanently. But now, seeing what it had become, there was no doubt. They could never return. Coming back, it was revisiting horrid nightmares, wretched reminders of the past.

There was an eeriness in the air. There were no walkers on the property. The cars drove slowly up to the farmhouse, passing by broken sections of the fence. The group looked out to the fields, seeing a few mounds of dirt. Those must have been the cows. And just past the shack, the tree with its graves under the branches.

Daryl was the first to get out. The others followed after him. Axel and Michonne looked around with steely eyes. The others held a shiver in, unbelieving in how much the farm had changed. How unsafe it all seemed now. Michonne began walking to the tree, to the graves. Even if the others didn't want to, they felt compelled to follow after her.

No one said a word as they looked over the graves of Patricia and Shane. Small patches of grass were barely beginning to grow over them. A coldness swept over the group, looking to the other graves. They had lost so many. Glenn wiped at his face. He looked over to Daryl; he was breathing deeply. It had been left to Alana and Andrea to bury their dead. Such a cruelty. More so for Alana, who hadn't the chance to bury Wilhelm.

"Let's get what we came for," Daryl said then. He turned to Hershel, waiting for him to show the way.

Michonne and Axel kept an eye out as Hershel led the others to the shack. Much of what could have been useful was in the barn. They'd have to make do with what was leftover. Every bit of gardening equipment was grabbed and tossed in the bed of the truck. There were two small crates of seed packets that Glenn took over to the suburban. Hershel had a trailer meant for the farm animals and so the truck was driven over to it to be hitched up. It was unknown how much Hershel would want to bring back and so the trailer seemed like a good idea.

They continued to load what they could find and whatever Hershel told them to. There was an old push-lawnmower in the shack. Daryl shoved it into the trailer. Three large spools of barbwire were placed inside as well. When Daryl saw them he thought they could be useful; set them up around the prison, tangle up the walkers. Glenn helped him gather up the lumber T-Dog and Jimmy had chopped. They could use it to stick in the ground and wrap the barbwire around.

The folding chairs were gathered up from around what had been the small campfire. The buckets were collected. The large washing bin behind the house was carried over. Every tool in the shack was grabbed.

But it didn't matter how hard they tried to keep themselves busy. They didn't even have to pass by them; the graves kept drawing their eyes. The mounds of dirt in the field were like huge looming shadows at their backs. The littered bodies of walkers were each a prick in their skin. The farmhouse was that cold breath in their ears.

This, all of this, is what they had left Alana and Andrea to.

Daryl looked around to everyone. He had wanted to be much further ahead than this. They had driven slowly on the road and were moving slowly, quietly, on the farm. Their eyes kept scanning over the field, towards the woods where the herd had emerged from. As clouds rolled over the sun and the shadows danced about, they would freeze, thinking the shadows belonged to walkers. As the sun would come back out, and the shadows faded, they'd let out a breath of relief tainted with a sliver of worry.

Time was already closing in on 2PM. With the truck pulling that trailer, they'd have to leave by 5 at the latest. And they hadn't even started on the farmhouse yet. With some irritation, Daryl walked over to Hershel.

"Ya wanna hitch up the shack while ya at it?" He walked off, whistling at the others. He pointed to the farmhouse. They need to get going.

Daryl stood on the porch, crossbow in hand, as Hershel came up the steps, digging into his pockets. They had already walked around the house. There were no signs that anyone or anything had broken inside. As Hershel pushed the door open, Daryl walked past and went inside. Axel and Michonne remained outside, standing on either side of the house, watching.

The dried blood from the walkers Andrea had killed inside was on the floor, a streak of blood leading from the kitchen.

"Let's start grabbing all the bedding and clothing," Hershel said.

The others began walking off into the rooms. Glenn grabbed the couch pillows from the living room and headed outside with them. Hershel started up the stairs. Daryl stared down the hallway that led to the room he had shared with Alana. He took a step forward and stopped. Something on the counter in the kitchen caught his attention and he took the chance to avoid the room. He walked over towards the sink and gazed down at the iron, its cord hanging to the floor. Daryl couldn't pick it up. He could see charred bits of something on it.

He knew what it was. A line of dried blood had formed around the bottom of the iron.

"Daryl?" Glenn said as he came back into the house and saw him standing there. He approached the kitchen and could just see the iron on the counter. He didn't say anything else.

When Daryl turned back around he was gone. Biting at his lip Daryl walked away. He went into the other bedroom on the bottom floor and pulled the sheets and blankets off it. He tossed it all onto the couch for Glenn to carry out.

Walking back down the hallway Daryl stopped so quickly he could have fallen over.

The loud growl of a motorcycle could be heard coming from outside.

WDWDWDWD

"You sure I can actually hit it from here?"

Maggie was holding one of the sniper rifles up, peering through the scope at a walker. After much arguing Alana had managed to get the others to agree to opening the gates so that they could deal with the walkers. It was a chance to get some target practice in. And at least this way the bullets wouldn't be wasted. Dale was up in the guard tower while Andrea had come down to take a few shots as well with the rifle. Rick and T-Dog were at the gates, ready to close them if needed. Lori had insisted that Carl remain inside the prison. Carol was with them.

"That's a military issued rifle. Course you can," Alana told Maggie. "Now just look through that scope and it'll be like it's near as I am to you."

It took Maggie two shots, but she was able to hit the walker. The shot was a bit off; bullet took out the side of its head, but it at least it still got the job done. There were only seven walkers in total. Alana stood to the side and allowed Andrea and Maggie to take them out. Andrea wanted the practice and Maggie needed it. While she was adequate with a melee weapon, the situation could arise where she'd need to rely on range. And if Alana's life depended on it, she wanted to make sure someone other than Andrea would have her covered.

And Daryl.

Daryl would cover her.

Alana blinked, pushing the thought away, fighting to not drag her eyes onto the road.

"Who wants to head out and get them?" T-Dog asked once the walkers were dead.

But Alana had already begun pulling the first gate closed.

"Leave them. Enough pile up out there, it'll start to cover our scent."

With target practice over, Andrea headed back to the guard tower. She had no desire to stay down there with the others. There was nothing to do. She needed to keep busy, even if it was just staring out the windows. Andrea didn't want to sit around, allowing herself to feel anything but alert. The farm had made them comfortable. Weak. She couldn't allow that chance to sigh in relief to come up again.

Alana headed inside the prison with Maggie. As she took the rifle from her, Alana couldn't help looking down at her watch. Already past 2PM. If they weren't back in six hours, that meant the group was staying at the farm for the night. Alana pushed the thought from her head.

She went upstairs to her cell and placed the rifles on the ground. Sitting on the mattress, she wanted to go downstairs and find some food. But Alana couldn't bring herself to pass Daryl's cell and pretend everything was okay.

WDWDWDWD

Michonne and Axel had rushed inside the farmhouse with the others, slamming the door shut and hiding. They peered out from behind the windows, staring down the dirt road.

The roar of the bike's engine had been cut off suddenly, like whoever was driving it had stopped. Daryl sent Hershel and Glenn upstairs to get a better look over the road. If there were other vehicles they couldn't tell. All they could hear was that motorcycle.

Minutes passed and nothing appeared on the road. Glenn came down while Hershel remained upstairs in one of the bedrooms, keeping a watch on the road. He walked up behind Daryl who was at the front door.

"You think Alana knows how to ride a bike?" he asked, a strange mixture of fear and hope in his voice. Could be that something happened back at the prison and Alana was sent to find them. Or maybe she got it in her head to come after them, not wanting to be left at the prison. Daryl wouldn't voice it, but he was hoping the same things as Glenn. Although at the same time if Alana did pop up on that road on his bike first thing he'd do is march out of that house and yell like hell at her.

But how could she ride a bike with a bummed leg, even if she knew how to ride?

No, if it was, or anyone from the prison, they wouldn't have stopped out on the highway. They'd come straight for the farm.

Whoever was out there didn't know the farm was there.

Whoever was out there was a potential threat.

Could be Randall's group, finally come to search for him.

It was an hour later when the bike was started up and could be heard driving away on the highway. The group strained to hear in which direction exactly it was heading. Towards or away from the prison.

Daryl and the others heard it driving away, but that could have just been what they wanted to hear. Could be heading towards the prison.

"What do we do?" Glenn asked quietly.

Daryl realized he was asking him and that the others were waiting for an answer.

There was no way of knowing if there were others with whoever was on the bike. And they couldn't be sure which direction they drove off in. Five wasn't their strongest. Limited ammo. Only the cars to use for protection if they got stuck on the road and had to fight their way out. They'd have to kill whoever they met on the road or else they could follow them back to the prison.

But if they were heading in the direction of the prison…if they found the prison…

"We're staying the night," Daryl said. "Leave first thing in the morning."

Slowly the others made themselves as comfortable as possible. Hershel and Glenn remained upstairs, keeping an eye out. Axel roamed around the house, looking at everything. Even the family pictures. He hadn't seen simple things like this in years. Michonne sat out in the living room, watching out from one of the windows, katana across her lap. For a few seconds her eyes drifted over towards the hallway that Daryl had disappeared down.

He had gone into the bedroom he had shared with Alana, pushing the door closed softly. The clothes that had been in the chair were gone, taken by Alana, and so he sat in it. He stared over the bed. At the dried patches of blood that had soaked in to the sheets. Alana had come back in here. Had slept in here. Without him. On his side that he would sleep on, he could see the sheets bunched up, as if she had grasped on to them.

He had let her down, down, so far down. And just when she'd hit bottom, he'd somehow found a crack to push her further down in. This house…it was nothing more than his shame. A reminder of just how much he had let her down. How much he'd let Wilhelm down.

Daryl stared at the large blanket that was folded up at the foot of the bed. His and Wilhelm's clothing was strewn across the floor next to the chair. The birthday gifts of Alana's were still under the bed.

He stayed in the room until evening fall, when Michonne came in, asking about what they would do about keeping watch for the night.

"I'll take the first watch," he said, shoving past her and heading up the stairs.

Michonne looked over the room. There was no need for her to guess who the room had belonged to.

WDWDWDWD

It was just a bit past 5PM when the group ate supper. It was quiet in the cafeteria, everyone keeping a watch on the time as the day's deadline approached.

"Watch for the night will be Dale, T-Dog, and myself," Rick said.

It seemed a bit more funny, the tone he took, when they were such a small group.

Maggie repeated what Alana had told her earlier in the day. "We need to keep the fences clear. Maybe one or two of us should be on standby, to come out and take care of any walkers." She looked at the others.

"Should keep it quiet," Andrea added.

It was agreed that Alana, Andrea, and Maggie would be on standby, one for each shift. A mattress would be dragged out to the hallway for them to take turns sleeping on. Whoever was on watch shouldn't be leaving to go inside to get them; anything could happen in the time it'd take. The gates would be left open, but only just enough for them to slip in and out.

Alana had the last standby watch.

After dinner she went to take a look at their collection of weapons, picking out the ones she thought would be best and depositing them over by the doors. Rick and T-Dog carried one of the mattresses into the hallway while Maggie trailed behind with a handful of blankets and pillows.

While waiting for the time to go by, for when she could go to bed, Alana wandered around. She still wasn't accustomed to being in a group. There was rarely time for rest when it was just her and Wilhelm. But with the group she was always finding herself with empty time, with moments where she didn't have to do anything. It felt alien to her, unnatural. She needed her rest though, no matter how much she wanted to get up and be of use.

As she prepared to call it a night Alana grabbed her medications and headed downstairs to the cafeteria to fill her water bottles. Carol was in there, she was leaving as Alana entered. She didn't bother to even look at her as she passed and headed to the kitchens. She was screwing the caps back onto the water bottles when she heard Carol say something. She was standing out near the tables. Alana thought it ironic that she spoke with such a flippant tone, yet had put a large distance between them.

"You should just leave him be. You're gonna get him killed."

Alana wiped the bottles down, holding them in one hand as she walked out into the dining area. She could see the rattle that went through Carol as she came nearer. Setting the bottles down on one of the tables, Alana reached into her pockets and pulled out the medications from Hershel. She popped the lids off both, picking out the pills and putting them in her mouth. It had to be unnerving for Carol to watch her show such ease and lack of caring. Alana looked up at her in a bit of wonderment. Woman didn't seem to put on any weight, always scrawny. How the hell had she lasted this long? Alana smirked cruelly. Already knew the answer to that one. Long as there was someone willing to take a bullet for her sorry ass, Carol would always survive.

Alana looked down at her knee, picking it up slightly. She then looked down at the needle marks on her arms as she raised one hand to touch her shoulder, wincing when she pushed down on the tender spot.

"If anything, I'd say I'm the one going to get killed. Doesn't have that great of a track record, protecting me, does he?" Alana could see the spark of fearful anger in Carol.

"He's a good man," Carol said. "Just feels sorry for you is all. Doesn't even care about you, said so himself. He told me." She crossed her arms across her chest, trying to hide that rattle in her. "He's just doing all this to say he's sorry. There ain't nothing more to it."

Alana nodded her head in thought. "Just…all one big apology then?" She knew it unwise, but she was nearing her breaking point and the temptation to push through was all too welcoming. "It is a rather large…apology."

The shock and even disappointment on Carol's face was almost enough to make Alana smile. Alana picked the water bottles up, dropping the medications back in her pocket.

"Don't you have some laundry to fold?" she asked as she began to walk away.

Carol spun round to look at her. "You're just using him! All this time you've been pretending, using all of us! Those stories about those other groups, that's all they are, stories, aren't they?"

"Tell yourself whatever you want Carol, I'm done," Alana said over her shoulder, still heading for the hallway.

"I tried being your friend, when the rest of the group didn't trust you. Tried to help you and Wilhelm." Alana stopped at her brother's name. Carol took the moment, striking a match inside Alana. "Probably better off that he's dead, the two of you would have killed us all."

Alana turned round and looked at Carol with sharp eyes. She began walking back into the cafeteria, dropping the bottles on one of the tables and point a finger at Carol.

"Don't you say another word about my brother! We did nothing but protect this fucking group! He died for all of you!" Alana shook her head. "What is your problem, huh?"

Carol took a step back as Alana continued to approach her. "You should just leave. We're better off without you! You're doing no one any good here."

Alana laughed in a cruel manner. "Do you miss getting beaten? Is that it? Miss dear Ed? Oh yeah, I've heard about him. Dale's quite the talker once he gets going."

"What's going on in here?"

The two women turned to see Lori standing in the hallway, staring at the both of them, Carl behind her. She looked from Carol to Alana, reading the tension in both their bodies.

"Carl, run, go get your dad," she said, pushing him away with a hand and walking into the cafeteria.

"You in on this too?" Alana shot at her. "You want me to leave too? Think you're better off without me?"

For a change, Lori looked confused and did not walk over to Carol's side. The two women began yelling at each other again and Lori instantly walked to stand between them, making sure neither made any steps forward. Rick and the others, aside from T-Dog who was in the guard tower, soon came into the cafeteria, Carl standing out in the hallway.

Dale was the one to step forward and try to defuse the situation, raising his hands in the air, trying to calm Alana.

"Look at her! She's crazy, how can we trust her?" Carol asked, point over to her as she stayed hidden behind Lori.

Alana scoffed. "I almost fucking died looking for your girl! Look at me!" she yelled, holding her arms out. The scars across her body should have been more than enough to gain her their trust. Rick came forward and held Alana back, trying to speak lowly to her to calm down and to just walk away.

"We'd be better off if you and your brother had never found us!"

Alana stopped resisting against Rick and stared coldly at Carol.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" Andrea walked up to Alana, trying to pull her away, not liking where this was going, but Alana shoved her off. "Then you wouldn't have to worry about me getting in your way, is that it?" Alana lowered her voice, turning her head down as she stared at Carol. "Hoping he'll beat you too? Or are you hoping for a little tender love? Your daughter's dead because of you. You poisoned her with your weakness."

"Alana…" Andrea said quietly.

"That's enough!" said Rick.

Alana snapped and looked to him, then to Lori. She smirked.

"You used to like me, didn't you?" she asked Lori, stepping towards her. "Well we all know why you're a sudden bitch, don't we? What's wrong, not happy that your plan to keep both didn't work out?"

"Just leave!" Carol shouted at her.

"Just die!" Alana yelled back to her. She was breathing heavily. "We should have left you on the road where we found you!" She started to turn away but stopped. "Oh, Lori, word of advice, next time you're on a highway, keep the kids in the fucking car." She shook her head, looking back to Carol. "Letting your little girl wander round through the cars. Really? I knew shit would happen before that herd even showed up."

Alana picked up her water bottles and could feel their eyes on her. She looked over to Andrea and just from her face…she knew what she had said. She could see that Andrea had tensed up, eyes darting to the others, trying to figure out what they were going to do.

"We never…" Lori began.

Alana slammed one of the bottles back on the table. "We were there! Heard Daryl's stupid bike and we hid in the trees."

Instantly Carol was in hysterics, yelling that they could have saved Sophia. That it was their fault she was dead.

"We did what we had to to survive! How the hell were we supposed to know your group wouldn't kill us and take our supplies?"

"That's enough!" Rick yelled once more and the cafeteria fell into silence. He looked to Alana. "Go sleep it off."

Alana huffed. Again, she picked up the water bottles. "You want me gone? Fine. But if I go, Andrea goes. Michonne goes. Daryl goes. You best fix her head Rick or else you'll be left here with the women and children."

Alana walked off, moving past the others and going straight to her cell.

She sat on the mattress, hands limp in her lap, as she looked down at the floor. She felt a deep depth inside herself, could feel it pulling on her, the space around her pushing in. Would they really leave, with her? Would they follow her? They had been so eager to follow someone else after the farm. That much Dale had told her. But did they still feel the same, now that the prison had been found?

She wondered if they were still in the cafeteria right now, talking about her. Deciding what would be done with her. Would they kick her out, make her leave? No…they couldn't do that. Andrea wouldn't allow it. Dale wouldn't. His heart would never allow that to happen; he'd leave with her. So would Andrea. Were the others willing to lose the three of them?

When she could hear nothing from downstairs, Alana rose and carefully went into Daryl's cell, standing in front of his bunk. It was dark, but the little light from the moon was enough for her to see with. She peered at the floor, at Daryl's collection of supplies and clothing. His clothing was stacked up in the corner along with a pile of random objects. Alana crouched down as best she could and looked over the things. She picked up the random knives, turning them over in her hand. She picked up a plastic bag to look through it, but stopped, staring down at what was underneath it.

Slowly, Alana placed the bag down and picked up the book. _A Game of Thrones._ She turned it over; it was the prison's copy. The other four books had been in the library, except this one. Opening it, she saw a page was earmarked. Flipping to it, she saw he was at the same place as her. How long had he been reading it?

Alana placed the book back in its place, putting the bag atop it. She stood and looked over to the bed. There was a dull pain in her knee. Alana sat on the bed, a hand splayed out on the sheets. Tossed on the edge was one of his shirts. She pulled it towards her, smiling when she saw he hadn't torn the long sleeves off. Alana bit her lower lip and pulled her legs up onto the bed, curling herself into a ball. She clung to the shirt, allowing herself to breathe. It hadn't been washed, but that didn't matter to her. It was his smell and it gave her comfort.

She fell asleep, face buried in his pillow and hands clinging his shirt.

**A sad ending to the chapter to go with some sad news. For those who have been following along with the two kittens, one has passed away. Both took a turn for the worse and sadly one passed yesterday morning. We rushed the sibling to hospital where it was kept overnight. The vet believes he will make a full recovery and confirmed that it is a boy, so we have named him Sheldon (Big Bang Theory fans). He has an array of medications, getting fed every few hours, and is due for a checkup on Monday. Both kittens had a horrible bacterial infection that the first vet did not properly treat and so that is why the first one passed away. The new vet has given us a new collection of medication and within these last 24 hours has made a huge improvement. **

**So it may not be till next weekend before I get the next chapter up since little Sheldon has to have 24/7 care. But it will help me immensely if you awesome readers will leave reviews with your thoughts etc about this chapter. It will help me out with carving out the next chapter and getting it out to you guys as soon as possible. **

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, it was great to finally write the huge confrontation between Alana and Carol. **

**And oh no! Who was that on the motorbike? I kinda have an idea sorted out for that whole thing, but still want to hear what you guys think about it (: Who knows, your ideas may be better than mine! **

**So what do you all think is going to happen the next morning at the prison? **

**How will the others react when they get back? **

**What is Daryl going to do? **

**Any and all thoughts you have about anything and everything, be sure to leave them in your reviews! **


	46. Chapter 46

**Oooooooo gotta say, I quite enjoy this chapter (: **

Rick stood his ground, staring at his shoes. The cafeteria was silent. He looked up at everyone, taking their faces in. Behind him, Maggie appeared distant from the others, feeling the severity of what just occurred but also knowing it had little to do with herself. Dale was utterly shocked to despair; this group was still broken. Andrea was to his left, her eyes avoiding everyone. There was a twitch in her leg to leave and go after Alana. Lori hung her head, whatever emotions shown on her face hidden by a cascade of hair. Carol still stood in her place, that same look on her face. A mixture of anger and helplessness. She looked to the others in a way that asked for their support. And Carl. Carl was still in the hallway, back up against the wall. His eyes must have trailed after Alana. There was a darkness in his eyes, but Rick could not tell to whom it was directed at.

Voices started to rise again, Carol speaking out to Rick, but Andrea bit back at her.

"You've done enough! Just shut it!"

"They were there! They could have helped us!" Carol argued. "She's been lying to us this whole time."

Maggie's arms were crossed over her chest, a scowl on her face. "Didn't you hear anything? How could they know you could be trusted?"

"Alana and Wilhelm helped us, they've protected this group," Dale proclaimed, pointing a finger at the ground.

"My baby girl is gone—"

"And there's nothing any of us can do about it," Andrea snarled. "Wilhelm's dead too. And Jim and Jacqui…Amy is gone. You lost your daughter. We've all lost someone. You're nothing special."

"Enough!" Rick hissed. He turned and looked at everyone, straightening his back. "It's late. Group's not coming back tonight. That means we need to be ready in the morning in case they show up early." He would not allow them to discuss Alana any longer. Looking to each of them, he said, "We're done here." He could see Carol trying to speak. "It's over. Andrea, you have first watch with T-Dog."

Rick slowly left the cafeteria, but then turned back around to the others, shaking his head. A look of frustrated defeat was on his face. He ushered Carl to follow after him; he needed to wash up for bed. As they walked down the hall Dale came quickly up behind them. Rick sent Carl off to get ready for the night. He stopped just short of coming out into the cellblock and waited for Dale.

"What are you going to do?" quickly flowed from Dale. The man looked worried and determined at the same time. When Rick didn't reply he became slightly flustered. "You can't make her leave. We can't lose her. Who would we be if we made her go, after all that she's done for us? After what Wilhelm's done for us." Dale shook his head in bewilderment. "We can't let her go out there on her own. She leaves, I leave too."

Rick looked down the hall, towards the cafeteria. The others were slowly making their way out. He was sure they had exchanged more harsh words after he left; there was nothing to be done about that. He wanted to control everything, but he couldn't.

Quickly, before the others came too close, Rick looked back to Dale. "I'll talk to her. Figure things out."

His words didn't leave Dale filled with confidence that everything would be okay. What exactly had to be figured out?

Rick left, going to the cells and hoping to get some sleep before his shift came up. He'd have to go wake Alana; she was his standby. He could talk to her then. He hoped she was willing to listen.

Andrea passed Dale by in the hallway, her head slightly low. She did not look like she cared to speak and so Dale let her pass without a word.

With no other choice in sight, as far as Dale was concerned, he went to his cell to await his turn on second watch with Maggie.

But Maggie did not follow suit.

She slowly made the ascent up the stairs, looking over the railing to see Lori and Carol. Maggie turned her head straight ahead. From the corner of her eye though, she saw someone in Daryl's cell. A quick glance over the rail again and she could see that Carol wasn't looking up at her. With fast feet she slid into Daryl's cell unseen.

It made unspoken sense to her that Alana would be found here. It was the closest to comfort she was likely to find. And Maggie saw no reason to say anything about it. Alana had sat up quickly when Maggie entered, but her muscles relaxed when she saw it was Maggie. She still held Daryl's shirt in her hands. Maggie reached out to balance herself as she sat down on the bed next to her.

"Rick didn't say anything," Maggie whispered. Alana nodded her head. Maggie rubbed a hand over Alana's back, looking sternly at the wall. "You're too important, he won't make you leave…And if he does, we'll go with you."

Maggie quieted herself as steps could be heard coming up the stairs. Carol was going into her cell. Alana just sat there, but Maggie had tensed, wary that Carol might come by, looking for Alana. But she never did.

Unsure of what else to say, whether she should leave, Maggie ventured to ask Alana a question. She didn't know what Carol would say about the night's events, but she knew Alana wouldn't hold back on the truth. Her place within the group was on the line; this wasn't a time for keeping secrets or telling lies.

"What did she say?" Maggie kept her voice very quiet, trying to stick as close as possible to Alana as she spoke.

"Daryl feels like he owes me. Doesn't care, it's just an apology."

"What did _you _say?" Maggie asked.

Alana smiled and shook her head. "I said it's a very big apology."

For a moment Maggie just sat there, but then she held a hand to her mouth. The smile could still be seen peeking out and her shoulder rose with a silent laugh, her eyes wide with amusement.

"Probably should have just walked away," Alana murmured and Maggie shook her head.

"She'd never stop then." Maggie looked round in Daryl's cell. She had the feeling that even if they put the bed back right Daryl would still know they had been in there. Made her smile. She then turned back to Alana. It was likely not her place and most certainly did not go well with the current mood, but she didn't know what else she could do except make Alana laugh. "So…is it?" Alana furrowed her brow. "_Big_."

Alana's eyes became nearly all white with small specks of color in their center. She bowed her head and hid her face in the shirt. The bunk shook as the two women held in their laughs. When she looked up Alana saw Maggie staring at her, still waiting for an answer.

"Don't answer that," Maggie told her, holding a hand up. She looked over at the desk clock Daryl had in his cell. "Try to get some sleep. We'll figure things out tomorrow, when Daryl's here."

Maggie left the cell, moving as quietly as possible. With slow movements Alana laid back down. There was suddenly no sign of laughter on her face; doubt had once again crept its way back into her head.

She didn't cling to the shirt as tightly.

She had told Wilhelm just the same at the start, after the incident at the house. That Daryl was helping her because of guilt for what happened. For leaving her behind, even though she left him no choice. Was she a fool for letting that slip from her mind?

Alana fell asleep, a fear having rooted inside her.

When she woke, Dale stood over her, shaking her shoulder. Rick waited outside Daryl's cell.

Dale had gone and woken Rick after finishing his own shift with Maggie. Rick was slow getting up, thinking over what he would say to Alana. Lori had woken as well, watching him. She didn't say a word. When Rick came out from the cell he saw Dale standing at the foot of the stairs. Maggie was still outside, waiting for them.

The old man wouldn't leave Alana on her own.

The two went to the second level, heading to the far end of the cells. Rick led the way. Reaching Alana's cell, a surge of panic ran through him as he looked into her empty cell. Turning round to Dale, he saw him staring into Daryl's cell. The two men saw her asleep on the bottom bunk. That was when Dale walked in to wake her.

Seeing the two of them there, Alana let the shirt slip from her hands as she sat up, swinging her legs over the side. Dale took a few steps further into the cell and Rick came in.

He was quiet for a moment, his head hung low.

Alana could see the tension in Dale as he stood waiting to hear what Rick had to say.

"What you said in there…you're right." Rick looked out towards the windows across the way. Clouds had rolled in and the moon hid behind them. "Come on. Sun will be up in a few hours."

WDWDWDWD

Maggie gave her a warm smile as she headed inside after she and Rick came outside. The gates had been closed; no walkers were in sight. Andrea and Maggie had both had to go out during their shifts to take care of a few walkers that had gotten close, but now there were none in sight. For that Rick was grateful. He had been hoping for a peaceful night. It would give him the chance to speak with Alana.

Alana waited at the entrance to C-block while Rick did his walk around the prison. She sat in the chair Dale had brought out when they had first arrived there. Her pack of gear was at her feet, crossbow in her lap. She still felt as if her cheeks were burning, having been found by both Rick and Dale in Daryl's cell, clutching his shirt. She wasn't used to others seeing her lower her guard, to show that she needed comfort too. But neither of them had said anything about it. She had done her best to smooth out the sheets and put the shirt back where she had found it. She, like Maggie though, was sure he'd be able to tell someone had been in his cell. In the end thought, Alana was glad that it hadn't been Daryl himself that found her in there.

Rick returned from his walk around and brought a chair over to sit down with her. For the first few minutes he was quiet, resting his elbows on his knees and looking out over the field. Alana did her best to remain lax, but she kept finding herself gripping tightly onto the crossbow. She'd slacken her hands, only to find them a few minutes later rigid again.

"When the others get here tomorrow, gonna have a talk with them."

Alana wanted to ask what the talk would consist of; if it would be about whether she'd be allowed to stay at the prison. She wanted to ask what he had meant back in the cell, about her being right. What was she right about? Everything?

Rick rubbed at his face. "He left me no choice. I didn't want to, but…" He looked over at Alana and she knew then that he was talking about Shane. Rick shook his head. "I don't know why he did it—well," he said, a dark smirk on his face, "I do know why. Just, don't want to accept it."

Alana stared at the ground. "You want to believe there's still some good in this world. In all of us."

Rick nodded. "I know things aren't perfect. This group isn't perfect…my marriage isn't perfect." He chuckled then. "I don't even know if that child is mine," he said, hanging his head. "Don't see how it could be mine. But you know what? That baby is _mine_. My responsibility. Now, I'm sure the others have said things. Doesn't matter. Nothing I can do about that. I have a family to care for, that's what matters."

Alana didn't speak. Rick hadn't opened up to anyone about what had happened back at the farm, with killing Shane. The group knew about it and had their own opinions, Lori having the strongest, but none truly knew all that had happened. Didn't understand exactly what Shane had done and the role Lori played in his actions.

Wilhelm was…had been the same way like Rick, but Rick didn't have anyone to talk to. Wilhelm was always the brains between himself and Alana. He took charge. But he never hesitated to speak with Alana. To share his worries. He'd always cover them up, make it sound like he was just making an observation, randomly chatting. But Alana knew the truth behind their conversations.

So Alana sat there and listened as Rick spoke, telling her everything he had been carrying on his back since waking in the hospital. He told her his first encounter with a walker. How he'd gone back to that walker, to give the person peace. She learned about a man and his son, Morgan and Duane, who had taken him in. She had heard about the camp outside of Atlanta from Dale, but hearing again from Rick, it was a totally different perspective.

"I knew something wasn't right, first day there. Way the others looked at me. Looked at Lori and Shane. They knew that something had happened, that something was wrong. None said anything though. I didn't say anything. Thought, what's the point? With everything that had happened, what was the point of confronting them. So I just…blocked it. Maybe…maybe if I had done something about it, maybe Shane…But there was just so much to be done. I showed up there and the group, they just looked at me. Made me the leader. There wasn't any time for me to worry about my marriage. I had to protect these people. We've lost so many people. And I feel that it's my fault. And when, just when I thought things were, looking up, Carl was shot. But we found the farm because of that. And you and Wilhelm. You found us."

Alana looked to Rick at her brother's name.

"Wish he was still here. Can't do this on my own. Being a leader. What's it they say? Absolute power corrupts."

Alana nodded and they sat for a while in silence.

Eventually, Alana asked, "What are you going to say tomorrow, to the others?"

"I'm going to tell them what you said. You and Wilhelm were there on the highway." He saw her take a small gulp. "You're not leaving. You did the right thing, staying hidden like that."

"And…what about—"

"That isn't the group's concern. You deal with it on your own," Rick told her in a strict tone.

As the sun began to rise Rick told her to head back inside and get some sleep. Alana gathered her belongings. Rick could see that she was still unsure about what the day would hold for her.

"Wilhelm trusted us to look after you, in case something happened. We're not going to dishonor him and leave you on your own. You're part of this group."

WDWDWDWD

At the first sliver of sun in the sky the group packed up the last things in the house and loaded it into the suburban and truck. Glenn and Hershel had gone over to the stables to see if there was anything there worth taking. Glenn was startled, falling over, when a neigh was heard at the back of the stables. Two of the horses had come back, one of them being Nervous Nelly. Their departure from the farm as pushed back as the group had to remove everything from trailer and load the horses up. Hershel had an old plow he then wanted to take; hook it up to one of the horses and it would help a great deal once they began planting crops on the baseball field. The discovery of the horses left Glenn hopeful that they'd find one of the cows. Or some chickens. As luck would have it, strangely, two chickens and a rooster were found wandering through the burnt skeleton of the barn. Wasn't easy catching them, but Glenn and Axel managed to get them after a few tries. While the group was hoping to find one of the cows, thoughts on having proper milk, Daryl decided that no one would go off looking for them. There were likely some still left, wandering about, but the property was large and he didn't want to go anywhere where they couldn't take the vehicles.

They were close to being ready to leave. Last minute things were being taken from the house. When Axel discovered all the alcohol they had taken from the bar he wasted no time and making the multiple trips to the cars and loading everything in them. While Hershel was wary about this, he knew there might be a medical need for the alcohol, so he said nothing.

Daryl had returned back to the room, staring at Alana's things. He looked over his back at the door that he had closed. He could hear the others moving around. Slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, Daryl pulled the sheets off from the bed. He then grabbed Alana's things, placing them in the center of the sheets. He picked up her clothing she'd left behind on floor. Majority of Wilhelm's clothing was still there. He grabbed them as well. He paused when picking up his own clothing, unsure if he should stick it in there with Alana's things. The door to the room opened then and Michonne stepped in, looking between him and the bed.

"Those her things?" she asked, coming forward and picking up one of the DVD's. Daryl nodded his head. "We're ready to leave." Michonne reached out and grabbed the pile of clothing in Daryl's hands, dropping it on the sheets.

"You guys ready?" Glenn asked, popping his head in the doorway. Michonne looked back at him and nodded. She gathered up the ends of the sheets and slung the bundle over her shoulder.

"Alana's stuff, told her I'd bring it back," she told Glenn who made an "Oh" face. His eyes darted over at Daryl as he stepped aside so Michonne could get by.

The drive back to the prison was a long one. Everyone had their weapons on hand, watching every bit of the road. They drove with the windows rolled down, listening for the sound of another vehicle. For that motorbike they'd heard.

Daryl drove the suburban ahead of the truck and trailer with Axel behind the wheel. He had wanted to drive. Said there were few things a man missed while in jail; a nice piece of ass, beer, and sitting behind the wheel of a truck. The comment made Daryl think of Alana. He still hadn't let her drive the truck. He then thought about her and Shane going out on the highway. Hadn't he let her drive? Probably did. Daryl felt jealousy twist inside of him.

He'd look in the rearview mirror, seeing the top of Alana's bundle peeking out from the back of the suburban. Each time he did though, he'd see Michonne staring at him. The look on her face, he couldn't figure out what it was. She was just…watching him. It unnerved him.

He was just ready to get back to the prison. To give Alana her things back.

WDWDWDWD

Alana was in her cell when she heard Andrea calling out.

"They're back! Someone help me with the gates!"

Alana stayed behind in her cell as the others exited the building. Looking out over the railing she saw Dale staring up at her. He nodded his head before following the others outside. Taking a sit on her bed, Alana waited.

Andrea had gone back up into the guard tower soon as the gates had been closed behind the two vehicles. There was a part of her that didn't want to be there to hear what Rick was going to say. She had gone and spoken with him, ready to put up a fight. He stopped her, putting his hands in the air. He told her that he wasn't going to make Alana leave. She was taken aback by his words at first.

"Good," she told him before walking away.

As Daryl got out from the suburban he looked around for Alana, but didn't see her. He looked up to the guard tower, but didn't see her. It was then that he saw Rick coming up to him. He needed to tell him about the motorbike. Those who had stayed behind were talking loudly and happily as they walked around the two cars, looking at all they had brought back. Carl was excited to see the horses, along with Maggie as well.

"Ya hear anything?" Daryl asked Rick. The man looked like he was about to say something, but Daryl had beat him. Rick made a face, shaking his head. "Heard someone on a bike, didn't know if they were heading this way. Thought maybe ya had sent Alana or something."

Rick shook his head.

As Daryl began to wonder why Rick and the others had a strange air about them Rick spoke, asking everyone to listen to him. Those from the farm gathered round him as the others took a step back. Looking round, Daryl still didn't see Alana. Maggie's face had dropped when Rick spoke. She walked over to Glenn and Hershel. Dale came and stood by him and Daryl felt his gut become heavy.

"Where's Alana?"

Michonne looked up to the guard tower and saw Andrea, a solemn look on her face. Even from down there, she could still see it.

"She's inside," Rick answered. "She's fine." Planting his feet, Rick looked up at the group."

As he talked, Daryl slipped further and further away from the group mentally. His eyes were hard and set staring at the ground. Alana and Wilhelm were there that whole time? He…he had thought, felt, something was out in the woods. But he had been so worked up about finding Sophia. Finding them out there on the highway, it was no mistake. They had planned it. Daryl could feel the others looking over at him, all of them waiting to see what his reaction would be. He wouldn't look at them though. He refused to. Rick ended, saying there was nothing more to be said. The entire thing felt so awkward, as if the big elephant in the room had been acknowledged but everyone was still left uncomfortable.

Rick told everyone to start grabbing things and taking them inside, leaving no room for anyone to speak on the matter. Daryl didn't see it, but a look passed between Maggie and Dale, with Maggie nodded as she made her way towards the suburban. Daryl was slowly grabbing his things from the front seat when he turned around to see Maggie at the back door, head down as she grabbed supplies to carry inside. The others were already heading inside with arms full or they were already inside. Maggie saw Carol look back as she went through the doors.

"You need to talk to Alana," Maggie told Daryl as the two stood by the car. "Carol said some things to her." Daryl looked over at her, brow scrunched up, but he didn't say anything to her. Grabbing a few more things he walked away.

Maggie looked up at the guard tower to Andrea who had been watching. Both women hung their heads.

It wasn't until the cars had been unloaded and the horses let loose onto the grounds that Daryl went to his cell. He had seen Michonne carrying the bundle of Alana's things upstairs. As he made it to he second level he saw her coming from Alana's cell. But when he got to his own cell, he saw the bundle on top bunk. Putting his things down Daryl looked to the wall that his and her cells shared.

They had planned joining the group.

Alana had even said it, that Wilhelm was always making plans.

He wasn't sure why, but Daryl felt like he had been betrayed in some way. Fooled.

He went downstairs to the cafeteria and was approached by Dale. He stood there numbly as the old man talked to him, telling him everything that had happened the night before right there in the cafeteria.

"You need to talk to her. Carol's put it in her head that, that you're doing all of this because you think you have to."

Daryl glared at him. "Ain't that why? Almost got her killed. Just trying to make it up to her."

Dale's face became pale and his eyes dull.

This is what he feared might happen. Standing there outside as Rick spoke he had seen Daryl's face. How it remained blank. Daryl had a short temper and it easily showed on his face. But it was also hidden. And that empty look in his eyes as Rick talked told Dale that he should worry. Was likely that there weren't many people in the world that Daryl Dixon had trusted. That lost expression on his face told Dale though that he had trusted Wilhelm and Alana.

"You have to care to feel guilt," Dale told him and walked away.

And just like that Daryl's mind had switched gears, thoughts reeling every which way. He left the cafeteria, passing others as they moved about sorting through the supplies, carrying things here and there. Those that were with him at the farm, their faces were different from those who had stayed at the prison. They only knew part of what happened the night before. The others stared at him, their faces asking what he was doing there, why he wasn't with Alana right that moment.

Daryl stood in the cellblock sorting things with them, never looking up at the cells above. Hershel and Maggie had been taking the alcohol over to B-block, to the hospital ward. When the two returned Daryl saw something in Hershel's hands. As he passed by he could see that it was a hard leg brace. Hershel headed up the stairs, going into Alana's cell.

"Thought you might like this better," he told her, holding out the brace. "Give you more support." He had found it in the ward, but waited on giving it to her. Didn't want her putting it on and trying to move around too much too soon. "Could use your help in the greenhouse."

As he left the cell Alana came out behind him. Glenn was looking up and saw her. He called out to her with a huge smile, holding up the soccer ball. Alana held onto the railing and half-smiled at him.

The group had brought back so much, she thought.

She spent the rest of the day in the greenhouse with Hershel and Maggie. Glenn came and joined them at a later point. He acted as if nothing had changed. When he saw Alana stifle a yawn he mysteriously wandered off, saying he would be right back. He came back with his backpack. He opened it and pulled out a soda can, a huge grin on his face.

"There's a breakroom," he started saying. "I have more if you want another one."

"I saw that soda machine. It was empty," Maggie said.

Glenn looked sheepishly at her. "Wasn't empty when I found it."

Maggie and Hershel laughed, turning back to their work. Glenn watched as Alana opened the can and took a drink from it. As she set it down he could see her hands were shaky. He gave her another smile and went back to sorting the seed packets out.

WDWDWDWD

Axel came into the greenhouse when supper was ready. He whistled when he saw the setup Hershel had going. "What you gonna grow?" he asked, picking up the seed packets and reading them.

Hershel told him of the various vegetables he had planned.

"No strawberries?"

"Don't have any seeds for those," Hershel said.

"I might have some," Alana commented as she held onto the soda can. Wilhelm…he had some packets. I'll have to look for them."

Axel cackled a laugh. "Hear that? Gonna have me some strawberries. Hey…where you get that?" he asked, seeing the soda can. If Glenn was any good at looking innocent Axel may have given up. He eyed the backpack. Glenn sighed and started unzipping it. "Nah. I'll wait. Have mine later. You got any Fanta?" Glenn held up an Orange Fanta. Axel smiled. "Gonna have me some desert tonight. Come on, dinner's ready. Spaghetti."

Alana took her seat with Andrea, Michonne, and Axel in the cafeteria. Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn sat at the table next to them. She didn't bother looking at the others.

That pair of eyes were no longer on her. Daryl wasn't watching her. His head was down as he sat at the table with Dale and T-Dog. T-Dog saw her looking over and gave her a small smile. Alana did her best to smile back.

The rest of the evening faded together for Alana. After supper she went back to the greenhouse with Hershel to finish things up. "We can get to planting tomorrow," he had told her. "You know anything about farming?"

Alana said no. "Wilhelm had wanted us to learn. Wanted to find some How To books, but we never found any bookstores that weren't in a dangerous area."

"Well, we'll start tomorrow," Hershel told her. "First thing you have to know, got to know the soil. How to work it." He went on to tell her of the different care the vegetables would be needing. He told her she could be in charge of the potatoes; they would be fairly easy to look after.

While Alana was with Hershel, Daryl was back in C-block, sitting in his cell. He had gone in there after supper was done with. No one had come and bothered him yet. The bundle of Alana's things was still on the top bunk where Michonne had left it. He wanted to go put it in her cell, just leave it there. But he also wanted her to be there, so that she would know it was him that brought the things back for her.

Yet he just sat there, not doing anything.

He finally had it. Had a reason to explain everything away. He had his way out from Alana. She had kept the truth from him and it was eating away at him. And the things Carol had said. Was there truth in them? He had put up with Alana, and Wilhelm, because he felt it was the least he could do after what had happened. Everything he had done, everything he had allowed to happen, it came from the guilt he felt. That's all he felt with Alana. Every time he saw her limp or saw the scars that marred her skin he felt guilt.

It was guilt that made him bring back her things, that made him go out to the farm in the first place.

He stood up then and went into Carol's cell.

WDWDWDWD

Alana kept her head down as she came into the cellblock. Her head came down the instant she glanced Daryl walking into Carol's cell. She didn't dare raise her head as she passed by, walking numbly to her own cell. As she passed Daryl had stopped speaking and she could feel their eyes on her. She grabbed her bottles and medications from the top bunk and went to the cafeteria, Daryl's voice once again muting as she went by and eyes following her.

She watched as the water filled the bottles, steadying herself against the sink. Andrea came into the cafeteria and saw her. Judging by the look on her face she too knew where Daryl was at that moment.

"You alright?" she asked. Alana didn't say anything, only nodding her head. She left before Andrea could say any more.

Daryl was still with Carol when she got back to her cell.

With a numbness inside her core Alana went to bed.

WDWDWDWD

It was a strange feeling, one that she could never explain. But even when asleep, she could _feel_ when someone was watching her, was in the same room as her.

It was past 3AM and Daryl stood in her cell, a large bundle of sheets at his feet. He had a small lantern in one hand, its low light throwing shadows in the small space. Slowly, Alana rose up, planting her feet on the ground. Daryl stepped forward and sat next to her, pointing a finger at the bundle.

"Brought your stuff back," he whispered. He set the lantern on the ground before them.

"Thank you," Alana said quietly.

Daryl bit at his thumb. He hadn't meant to, but he ended up sitting so close to her, his larger shoulder rubbing against hers. He had begun to sway his leg side to side, but it brushed right up against hers. He did his best to stay still.

"Are you angry?" Alana asked, unable to just sit there with him and not say anything. Not knowing what he was thinking. He nodded his head after a moment.

"What were you doing in my cell?" he asked then.

Inside Alana was laughing with bitterness. Of course he would know she had been in there. That or someone had told him. "I just wanted to sleep."

For a long time neither of them spoke.

"Stay away from Carol," he eventually told her. She nodded in agreement.

As he stood to leave she stopped him, looking up at him. "What about us?" Her eyes betrayed her, showing the fear she had of what his answer may be.

He answered her fear with silence.

After he left Alana stayed awake. After some time she lowered herself to the cold floor, opening the bundle of sheets. Everything was there all jumbled around. With eyes that stung she looked over the items. The books were stacked up neatly, along with the DVD's, and pushed under the bed. She put the CampStove against the wall, stood up to put the DVD player on the top bunk. Alana began refolding the clothes. She picked up one of Wilhelm's shirts and paused, staring down at it. She cried silently as she put his clothes on the top bunk. Reaching down for another shirt she stopped. It wasn't Wilhelm's. Her hand shook slightly as she couldn't decide whether to drop the shirt or cling to it. Looking down at the pile of clothes still on the floor she saw that all of Daryl's clothing left at the farm was there in the bundle. One by one she folded them. She made a small pile on the floor. Tomorrow, she'd put them in his cell tomorrow when he wasn't there.

She was pushing the pile up against the wall when a shadow fell over her. She looked up to see Daryl once more. His face was beyond readable to her. He probably realized his clothes were missing, she thought.

Alana grabbed the pile and stood up, holding it out to him. But Daryl still stood at the entrance to her cell.

The moment he went back to his cell he felt that he had made a mistake. Knew that he had made a mistake. It had become easy for him to acknowledge the truth and still keep it hidden, even from himself. But walking away from Alana, not saying a word, it was the last truth he could hide from. What had he told himself before? Don't think. Don't think about it.

Looking at her standing there, he was reminded of why he felt guilt, why he allowed things to get to this point.

He wanted her.

Looking behind him out to the cellblock Daryl saw that no one was awake. He looked down the row of cells to his left. No one was awake. He walked forward and took the pile of clothes from Alana, putting it on the top bunk.

"Anything else ya ain't told me?" he asked her lowly. Alana shook her head. "Others don't need to know about us, ya hear? We're just surviving. That's all." Alana looked up at him, confusion on her face. "That what you want, isn't it?" The way he asked the question, he might as well had just put the barrel of a gun to his head and her finger on the trigger. She had held him in her crosshairs twice before and spared him. He was hoping this third time would be the same.

With a deep breath Alana nodded her head and Daryl's chest heaved up as he breathed in. It was like the previous times back at the farm; he trembled with uncertainty at what he was doing. He likely held onto the side of her neck too hard as he pulled her towards him, but she made no protest. She never did. He could feel how rough and dry his lips were against her cheek, but Alana didn't pull away. She leaned in to him, a hand reaching up to grab at his shirt. Turning her head she could feel Daryl falter as she brushed her lips across his jaw. He felt her sigh, lowering her head and resting it against his chest. She waited for him to lift her face back up to him, to kiss her on the lips, but she knew it wouldn't come. Not yet.

Daryl stepped back from her, reaching over her head to grab his pile of clothing. He looked down to see Alana still held onto the bottom of his shirt. He pulled her fingers loose and lowered it to her side. Reaching into his back pocket he pulled out the long sleeve shirt he had left on his bed, half of it wrinkled up from being stuffed in his pocket. Alana took it from his outstretched hand, a sad smile on her lips and eyes bright.

"Take a shift tomorrow night," he told her.

**So…how'd you like that ending! **

**The coming chapters are going to be fun to write, Alana and Daryl keeping their relationship secret. You think anyone will find out about them?**

**Here comes a fun part for you guys! **

**Give me some ideas of what you'd like to see from Alana and Daryl in these future chapters about them keeping things secret. Daryl's gonna have to come up with ways for them to be alone without the others questioning what's going on. So let me know of little things you'd think the two of them would do. **

**Thanks for all the reviews! Thanks to those I bounced ideas off of and that pointed out errors in the previous chapter (: **

**And you know, it's totally true, the more reviews that come in, the faster I write! I get a lot of ideas for the story from your reviews so the more I have the better the story becomes (: **

**Next chapter should be up around this same time next week or perhaps sooner, all depends on those awesome reviews you awesome readers leave for me (: **


	47. Chapter 47

**Thanks for all reviews from the last chapter! **

**Enjoy this new one and be sure to leave your reviews! **

The following day was nothing short of uncanny.

When Alana woke she folded Daryl's shirt up and stuffed it in her pillow. After he had gone back to his cell she crawled into her bed, pulling the sheets up to under her chin. Underneath them she held onto the shirt. Now that she had all her clothes back (and Wilhelm's) Alana actually stood there for a moment the next morning, trying to decide what she would wear for the day. It was a strange feeling, making a choice like that. Not even when she was at the farm did she take a second to decide what she would wear. She'd just grab what was needed. If it was hot, she grabbed whatever would breathe. If it was cold, she grabbed something warm. Didn't matter to her what it looked like, just as long as it got the job done. She grabbed a pair of jeans, and a tank top and long sleeve shirt that belonged to Wilhelm. She walked over to the back of the bunks and changed into the clothes. Sitting on the bed she pulled on her boots and put on the new brace Hershel had given her. Alana remained seated for a moment, looking off into the cell. She then stood and walked out. When she was a few steps past his cell, Daryl came out behind her.

Though the water still worked in the prison, no one was exactly comfortable with using the sinks in the cells. And no one even spent a second thinking about the in-cell toilets. Alana carried a small pouch in her hand as she made it to the bottom of the stairs, heading off to the offices. Just past them was the breakroom Glenn had raided. And past that were two restrooms meant for the prison guards. One for the women, one for the men. The doors were propped open. Alana felt Daryl behind her the entire time until she went in; he kept walking, heading into the men's. While she washed her face and brushed her teeth she heard someone walk in.

She darted her eyes towards the entrance when Andrea walked in. She set her own small bag on the sink counter and went into one of the stalls. As the two women finished their business and packed their pouches up Andrea asked what Alana would be doing for the day; Hershel had told her about the barbwire they brought back. She wanted to head out into the field and start setting some of it up.

"He's dragged me into planting potatoes," Alana told her. Andrea made a face. "Going to learn about soil today."

"Well, if you get bored you can come play with some barbwire." Alana could feel Andrea's gaze linger on her for a moment.

The day would be filled with looks like that one, Alana told herself. She prepared herself for the heavy silence that would surly come when she entered any room and the forced talk that would ensue. It would likely continue on like that for more than just this day.

The two women left the restroom, coming out behind Daryl. Andrea slowed her steps a bit, her eyes on Daryl's back. She looked over at Alana who was watching the floor as they walked. Andrea then began speaking to Alana, telling her of the plan to make stakes out of the chopped lumber the group had brought back. They'd wrap the barbwire around the stakes and stick in the ground around the prison. It was a rather clever idea, Alana thought, but they'd have to make sure to keep the grass short. If for some reason they needed to cut across those fields, none of them would want to get tangled up in the barbwire. Alana told Andrea of this and she could see that the woman hadn't thought of that. The grass was of a height already. Andrea suggested using the mowers that were stored in the large garage, but took the thought back on the realization that those mowers weren't likely to be quiet. Alana said the lumber should still be shaved down into spikes; she'd speak with Hershel about possible solutions.

The two women came out into the cellblock with Daryl still ahead of them. Some distance had been put between them; Alana had slowed down when Andrea began to fall behind. She knew what the woman was doing and was grateful, though there was no reason for it. But Alana wouldn't tell her of that.

"We could let the horses eat it," Andrea said then. Alana's brow knitted together. "The grass in the fields." Alana still didn't follow. Andrea remembered that she hadn't come out when the group arrived back the day before. "Two of the horses showed back up at the farm."

Alana rubbed at her neck. "Where are they?"

"Outside I suppose."

Two horses, two large animals, clonking around outside. Andrea continued speaking; already there were ideas of what the horses would be used for. Hershel intended to use them to plow the baseball field and plant crops. The idea was not a bad idea. But it had many bad side affects. Where would the horses be housed? How would they feed them? They couldn't just have them wandering round the prison, dropping their business wherever. And they'd only get spooked by the walkers and in turn rile up the walkers.

Alana's eyes had darted up for a second here and a second there to Daryl as she and Andrea walked. She had wondered how she would go about her days, wearing a mask that showed no interest. In that walk to the cafeteria she began to think it a trying task, but at Andrea's mention of the horses Alana discovered it may not be that difficult. It appeared that until the situation with the horses was sorted out she'd be busy darting through plans in her head and carrying them out.

She began thinking over a list of questions she'd ask Hershel about the horses. What they could eat, how much they needed to eat, where could they find feed for them, where they would be kept (surly the hard concrete would be no good for their hooves), what care they would be needing.

They group would have to double up their work on keeping the fields empty of walkers until things were sorted for the horses.

Streaming through her thoughts Alana remained quiet the rest of the way to the cafeteria. Not everyone was there yet; Lori, Rick, and Axel were not present. Carl sat by himself eating a bowl of oatmeal. As Alana walked past him he looked up eagerly. He gave a weak smile then went back to eating. Possibly he thought she was his father or mother. Lori and Rick entered shortly after. Lori walked at a slower pace. Alana could only guess that she was having morning sickness. With everyone else present it must have meant Axel had watch duty. Made sense; he was not one for eating breakfast.

A large pot of the oatmeal was setting out on one of the tables with bowls and spoons next to it. There were also bottles of water. Everyone helped themselves; Andrea looked over to Alana. It was a look that said _I'll get you a bowl_. And there was no wondering why. Daryl was at the table and sitting at the next table was Carol and T-Dog. Alana stood her ground though. As Daryl turned around to head to his customary table he moved over to walk past Andrea instead of Alana. When she finally had her bowl and was moving towards her table she locked eyes with Rick for a moment.

There wasn't as much depth in his eyes as there had been. He still looked tired, but also somehow refreshed. He had told her many things yesterday. Alana had felt that he hadn't had a chance to talk with someone like that since before the world came crashing down. Maybe the last person he had spoken to like this had been Shane.

Alana took a moment between bites of her oatmeal and looked at Michonne. "Thanks, for bringing back my stuff."

Michonne didn't miss a beat. "You're welcome," she said, not even letting her eyes wander over to Daryl.

It felt strange, the relative quietness of the cafeteria, after what had occurred. But the repercussions were well being felt by Alana. With the return of the group and Rick's silent proclamation that Alana's actions (or lack of) were not to be discussed, a new wave of repercussions had been brought down upon her. Once again, there were those who looked at her with untrusting eyes, those who remained loyal, and those that remained a mystery to Alana.

Dale had not been wrong in knowing who would have left with Alana. Himself, Hershel, Glenn, Maggie, Andrea, Michonne, and T-Dog. Their views of her had not changed, not as far as her own eyes could tell her. If anything, if felt like they were trying to form some sort of barrier around her with their stares, protecting her. Axel, Rick, and Carl were blank to her. Although, she knew Rick stood beside her; but for the sake of being their leader he could show her no favor like the others. Lori and Carol, as ever, showed her distrust.

But there was something different about both of them that morning. Lori—perhaps it was the morning sickness—did not look at her many times. When she did it was like there was a veil surrounding her and Alana could not see properly through it to the true emotion Lori held. Rick. He must have spoken with her.

And there was something unsettling in Carol's eyes. Something perturbing about how she held herself. As if she was privy to some knowledge that no other knew.

Daryl.

If there were a reason, an excuse, to turn around and look his way Alana would have done so. She thought over what he had said to her in her cell. _Others don't need to know about us._ Alana all at once found herself questioning what he had said to Carol for she sat there in the cafeteria with an air about her, like she had won a battle. Like Alana was no longer of concern to her. But of course that did not diminish the foul view she had of Alana completely.

She'd have to wait till that evening to speak with him though.

At that thought Rick asked if there were any takers for the night shifts. Alana voiced her willingness. Right behind her came Michonne. There was a pause in the air and Daryl must have raised an arm; Rick looked over in his direction and then Daryl volunteered to take the last spot.

Alana didn't know what Daryl's plan was for the night shifts, but at least they had both secured spots.

Hershel was the first to finish eating and he stood to drop his bowl off in the sink. As he was walking back he stopped at Alana's table. "Gonna get started in the greenhouse. You can meet me in there when you finish up."

With only a few bites left Alana finished her oatmeal and took the empty bowl into the kitchens. She passed the table Daryl and Dale sat at. Dale gave her a smile, asking if she was going to go play in the dirt. She didn't miss the short glance he sent Daryl's way. Daryl did not look up at her as she walked by.

She had sympathy for Dale. This ruse, not knowing it was a ruse, would take its toll on him. The man always had hope. But Alana did not doubt Dale's stubbornness in keeping hope. Still, part of her felt a twinge of guilt.

Alana went back to her cell to take her medication and grab the jacket T-Dog had given her. As a last thought she grabbed the lumberjack hat. The greenhouse was past B-Block; the mornings weren't horribly cold, but with her injuries it only took a chill to set the cold in her bones. Coming out from her cell she passed Daryl who was heading into his. A few steps down the stairs and Alana could hear him coming behind her. She pulled on the sleeves of the jacket, pulling them over her hands. When they exited the prison Daryl continued to walk behind her until he reached the guard tower. Passing B-Block, Alana looked back and saw him already up in the guard tower. Axel was just disappearing into C-Block. Looking back up to the guard tower she saw as Daryl turned away from her.

In the greenhouse Hershel had already set out things for Alana. It was a bit chillier inside. Alana chose to keep the jacket and hat on, but she did at least stick her hands back out from the sleeves. Hershel motioned for her to sit on one of two stools he had pulled over from the worktables. He then proceeded to tell her about keeping a greenhouse. He showed her the soil they'd be using for the potatoes and told her how much she'd need to water. As he continued on explaining things Alana picked up the packets of seeds; the images on the front were of small red potatoes.

"When can we eat them?" she asked when Hershel took a pause in his instructions.

"Two months. At the soonest."

Alana could feel her face fall and her shoulders sink down. It made sense, but having always been able to simply walk into the grocery and grab a bag of potatoes—of anything—it blindsided one to what all exactly went into growing that produce. She eyed the packets of seeds for lettuce, carrots, radishes. She looked up at Hershel.

"Two months," he sighed. He stood and brought a pack of soil over to Alana. "Fill these up to the top. When you get that done, I'll show you how to put the seeds in.

Alana tore the top of the soil pack open, using her good knee to heave it up and into her arms. Within a few minutes the front of her jacket was dirtied and there were specks of black under her nails. Two bags later and Alana had her rows of soil ready. Hershel planted the first few seeds for her before letting her try her hand at it. He was very particular with how deep the holes were and how she packed the soil back over the seeds.

After a bit he left her to her own and minded his own rows.

"Where are the horses?" Alana asked him.

"Put them in the garage. For now." Alana was glad he had the sense to not leave them wandering around outside. "Will have to do something about it though. Hard floor won't be good for them."

"What do you have in mind?"

Hershel thought for a moment. "Kyle Harris, he was a neighbor, used to put rubber mats down in the stalls."

"And where are we going to find those?"

"Well, there's a stable not far from here."

"I'll find my map," Alana told him. "Point out where it's at. I doubt we have enough food for those horses. Take it these stables will have what we need?"

"When the dead started walking, likely not many people worried about their horses."

Alana nodded her head. "We can talk it over with Rick. Get a group together to head out and get what we need."

"In the meantime," Hershel added, "long as we keep the fields clear I can take them out there, do some grazing."

It wasn't long after mentioning Rick that he walked into the greenhouse. He acknowledged Hershel who was on the other side of the rows before going over to Alana.

"Need your help on something," he told her. This must have been what was on his mind that morning, she thought. Rick nodded over to Hershel. "They heard a motorbike over by the farm."

Alana had heard about it from Michonne. "You think it was someone from Randall's group?"

"Maybe. I wanna send a group out, just to check things out." The tone of his words suggested that he was waiting for her approval or disapproval. "Figure, since we didn't see them they must have been heading the other way."

"Whoever it was, they didn't come down the farm road?" Rick shook his head and Hershel said they mustn't have been familiar with the area or else they would have known the farm was there.

"I want you to lead the group," Rick told her. "How many people will you need?"

It looked like there was no choice in this for her, Alana thought. "Two. Best to keep it small. If anything happens, two of us act as distraction while the third escapes." She could see that Rick faltered at her words; he wasn't as willing to address that things could go wrong.

"When should we leave?"

"Tomorrow would be best. Sooner the better."

"Right then. I'll let T-Dog know."

Rick left the greenhouse. Alana wanted to stop him and tell him about the horses, but she didn't. Much as it was good to keep busy nowadays, she saw little good coming from drowning their heads in plannings for future outings.

As she was finishing up with her rows of seeds Alana tried not to think of how Daryl would react to her going out from the prison. And without him. She wagered she'd find out that night.

WDWDWDWD

Alana had already finished in the greenhouse and gone back inside C-Block. On her walk back inside she hadn't looked up to the guard tower to see if Daryl was watching.

He was.

Alana searched inside for Andrea and Michonne, but found neither. Carl came walking by in the cellblock and saw her peering inside the cells. He asked if she was looking for the two women.

"They're outside," he told her. They were sharpening the chopped lumber. Carl had come inside to grab a better knife. "You wanna help?"

Not wanting to go and sit in her cell, Alana agreed and followed him back outside to the side of the prison. Tables had been set up along with chairs. Andrea, Michonne, Axel, and Dale were sitting, each with their own small piles of wooden spikes next to them. Rick was off towards the back of the prison, doing a walkaround. Alana didn't know where the others were. She had spotted Lori in the cellblock; she had turned over on the mattresses when Carl came in to get the knife.

Alana sat down in a chair next to Carl he handed her some lumber and large knife. He then proceeded to show her how to shave off the bits of wood. She knew what to do, but allowed him to show her anyways. He handed her a pair of gloves; Dale had gone into the garage and grabbed a few pairs.

"Do you think we have enough?" Carl asked Alana, looking at the bits of lumber.

"It's a big field. We'll probably have to go chop some of those skinny trees down," Alana told him. He looked to be thinking it over. She quickly was able to place his view of her.

Indifference.

He was becoming like his father, coming out from Lori's shadow.

Rick came walking up behind them. "Anyone seen Glenn or T-Dog?" he asked the small group.

Dale looked up at him. "Think they're both inside. There a problem?" Everyone's ears perked up.

"Just two walkers at the back. Wanna take care of them before they reach the fence."

"How far out?" Alana asked Rick, turning in her chair to see if she could spot them.

"Maybe fifty yards." That ruled out being able to just walk behind the third fencing.

Alana set down her spike and knife. "I'll watch the gates," she offered. She began to stand and follow after Rick into C-Block.

Rick paused and looked back at Carl when he stood and said, "I wanna help too."

Turning completely around to look at Carl, Rick said, "You can watch the gates with Alana." With a smile Carl ran off to towards the gates to wait for his father and Alana.

Inside the cellblock Rick waited as Alana grabbed her crossbow and rifle. She slung the latter over her shoulder, crossbow held in hand. As Alana came down the stairs Rick was exiting from his cell. Must have told Lori that he was going out to take care of the two walkers. She had sat up on the mattress, legs sprawled out before her as she drank from aw water bottle.

Rick and Alana were heading down the hall that would take them back outside when he spoke quietly to her, taking a peek over his back. "Would you mind taking a look at Lori, just, make sure everything's okay? I'd ask Hershel, but Lori's always had this thing about male doctors."

"I don't really know anything about…pregnancy."

"Can you just make sure it's nothing else?"

Alana took a slow breath. "Yeah, alright."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

Carl stood anxiously in front of the gates, waiting to open them. Alana looked over to Rick as he motioned up to Daryl.

"Two walkers," he shouted up to him as he came out from the center room. Daryl nodded. From his vantage point he could spot them just past B-Block. From the way they moved they likely hadn't spotted anyone in the group yet.

The three gates were opened and Rick turned round before heading along the fenceline. "Here," he said to Carl, pulling a handgun from his back waistband. "Do as Alana tells you, oaky?" Carl nodded his head.

Rick began making his way along the fence while Alana and Carl stood just outside the gates. From up in the guard tower Daryl kept an eye on the two walkers and Rick. He used the pair of binoculars Dale had left up there for them. There were a few times where he would hold them just a bit away from his eyes and look down at Alana. From up there no one could tell what he was doing. He found himself becoming agitated a bit when she never looked up at him. Throughout the day he had been going back and forth between knowing that he couldn't treat her any different from the rest of the group and wanting nothing more than to do that very thing.

Rick disposed of the two walkers and made his way back to the front of the prison. He swung the baseball bat back and forth, trying to get the bits of gore off it. He helped Alana and Carl close the gates before handing the baseball bat to Carl and telling him to go rinse it off. There was a hose outside the greenhouse that led inside. Hershel wasn't using it, preferred a more hands-on approach than relying on a sprinkler system.

"I'll go get Lori. We'll meet you in the hospital ward," Rick told Alana as they closed the last gate and secured it.

"Yeah…it's in A-Block?"

Rick told her it was and that she could just wait outside for him and Lori. With the way the three blocks looked the same, Alana couldn't recall clearly if she had been inside A-Block. She stood outside the main doors until Rick came back with Lori in tow. She held an arm across her stomach. Alana kept her eyes ahead and Rick led them through A-Block to the hospital ward.

Hershel had done a good job at cleaning the place up and Alana motioned for Lori to take a seat on the nearest cot to the doors. Setting her gear on the next bed she looked around at the equipment. Alana scratched at her head. She dug through some carts and came up with an electronic thermometer that went in the ear. Finding the plastic caps that went on it Alana walked over to Lori. She didn't look pleased to be there. Alana wasn't pleased to be there either.

Alana the reading. "98.4* You usually run about that?" Lori nodded. Alana sighed and looked around again. She found a stethoscope. "Any discomfort?" she asked after asking Lori to take deep breaths. She checked her pulse.

"I've been getting headaches."

"Where's the pain?" Lori motioned to the side of her head. "Do you feel nauseous when you get the headaches?" Lori nodded. "Light or noise make it worse?" Once again she nodded, this time a bit slower.

"Moving my head too."

"Sounds like a migraine," Alana told her, putting down the stethoscope and standing back. "We could try medication but…" She knew neither Lori nor Rick wanted to go that route. "I'd say rest, drink some hot tea, lots of water. Try and eat small meals throughout the day. If the migraines get worse then we can try medication. Maybe find some children's Aspirin."

"Alright," Rick told her, helping Lori to stand up. "Thank you. There's some tea packs back in the cafeteria, I'll make you some," he said to Lori.

"And try to stay indoors. Darkness is…well your friend right now."

Alana walked behind them as the three made their way back to C-Block. That had been an awkward moment with Lori giving her the most minimalist responses and attention. There was no shutting Lori down; Alana wondered just what Rick had said to her to make her retreat inside of herself.

With a couple of hours still left before supper Alana returned to help shave down the spikes. Daryl came down from the guard tower, Dale heading up to take over the watch. He walked behind her, but she never looked back at him.

WDWDWDWD

During supper Rick called everyone's attention to the motorbike Daryl and the others had heard while on the farm.

"We're going to head out there, make sure that whoever it was, they kept moving on. I want to keep this quiet and quick. Alana, T-Dog, and myself will go. We'll check the area around the farm and then head back."

The eyes on her back were quickly in place and Alana knew Daryl was looking her way.

"While we're gone Daryl's in charge. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

Dale saw an issue with this. "Don't you have a watch tonight? I'll cover it, let you get your rest."

Alana shook her head. "I'll take the last shift," she told him. "Once it's over I'll wake you two and we can be on our way." Rick and T-Dog had no objection to the plan. Dale then began to suggest they take a walkie. "No walkies. If something happens and we come across others, and they see the walkie, they'll know there's more of us. They'll come looking for you." She paused for a moment. "Best if whatever car we take, we stock it with things, make it look like we've been living in it."

As the group went back to eating Alana spoke lowly with Andrea. "I'll want you back up in the guard tower tomorrow. Keep an eye on the road."

"Yeah. No problem."

"Anything you want me to do?" Michonne asked.

It went unnoticed by Alana how Michonne's eyes just barely grazed over Daryl behind them.

"Keep the gates clear."

Alana finished her meal quickly and left the cafeteria. She set an alarm on her watch for the third shift and headed to her cell. Getting out of the jacket and hat she was still wearing Alana headed down to the restrooms to wash her hands. She had a thin layer of dirt on her skin and thick rows of dirt under her nails. She cupped her hands and splashed the cold water over her face, looking up at herself in the mirrors. Alana gave her reflection a sad smirk and headed back to her cell.

Her bottles of water will still full and so she didn't have to go back downstairs to the cafeteria to fill them up. She grabbed the two medications and quickly swallowed the pills. She looked over to the corner of her cell to the IV stand; she was happy to be done with that.

The chill had set further into the prison as the sun had begun to go down and so Alana kept her long sleeve shirt on, making sure it was buttoned all the way up. It being Wilhelm's she was able to pull the sleeves down over her hands and bunch the extra length in her fists. Sitting on the bed, she thought of pulling out the DVD player. Or maybe picking up one of the books. In the end she chose to just lay down and get some sleep.

With everyone now inside aside from Dale it was difficult for Daryl to randomly hang about the cells, let alone his own. There was no reason for him to have to walk past Alana's. Couldn't even think of a good excuse for dropping something that just so happened to land in front of Alana's cell. He tried walking alongside the wall on the bottom floor, thinking maybe he'd be able to see into her cell. He could, but he couldn't see her.

Not having much of any other choice, and not wanting to be bothered by the others, Daryl resigned to his own cell and sleep until his shift.

But he wasn't in there long before Michonne came, tapping on the bars and leaning against them as she waited for him to roll over and look at her.

"You wanna take first shift?" she asked him.

Daryl rolled back over. "Can't ya see I'm trying to sleep? Don't want nobody botherin' me till second shift."

Raising a brow, Michonne walked away and headed downstairs.

WDWDWDWD

Alana awoke to her alarm going off quietly. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she got up and began slipping back into her jacket and hat. She slung the crossbow over her good shoulder and carried the rifle in her right hand.

She felt a cold sweat come over her as she passed Daryl's cell and didn't see him in there. She hadn't known what shift he was going to take. Looked like he had taken the second. Alana took her time coming down the stairs, using the rifle as a crutch of sorts. The cold had put a constant ache in her knee. And after waking up there was always a stiffness in it.

Daryl saw her come out from C-Block and slowly make her way over to the guard tower. He went down to the bottom of the stairs and waited for her. He took the crossbow from her back without a word and kept an eye on her as she climbed up the steps. He saw how she tried to keep her knee straight. Up in the room he stood back as she sat down in one of the rolling chairs, laying her rifle across the table.

"Anything?" she asked him, taking a look round the prison grounds and the fields.

Daryl shook his head though she couldn't see it. "Nothing so far."

Again the silence came between them and Alana began to wonder if he would just get up and leave. He had sat down in one of the other chairs, pushing himself over to sit next to her. He rested his arms on the workstation and looked out over the fields.

"Don't want ya going out there tomorrow," he told her. "All banged up, ya should be staying here."

"Rick asked me to go." She sent a glance his way. "You don't want me to go, tell him." She knew he wouldn't. That would raise suspicion. "And you're not going. He wants you to stay here."

"Well then his ass can stay and I'll go," he told her, shuffling his feet.

"You went with the last group. He's not going to send you back out again." Alana looked over at him. "Not as easy as you thought it would be." She waited for him to acknowledge _it_. When he said nothing in reply she sighed. "What did you tell Carol yesterday?"

Daryl was fighting the urge to squirm around in the chair, to get up and just leave. "Told her to leave ya alone." A moment went by before he spoke again. "Told her there wasn't nothing between us. I'm just looking out for ya."

Alana blinked harshly. "You lied." Out of the corner of her eye she could see him nod. "So what now then? We're going to…_sneak_ around behind everyone's backs?" Having gone the day without interacting with him, it pushed what he had told her the previous night away, out of sight. But now the aftershock was setting in. The bouncing back and forth between emotions had started. "What do you plan on telling them if we get caught, if someone starts asking questions?"

Daryl became gruff. "No one's gonna find out." As an afterthought he added, "Long as we're careful."

Alana shook her head. "You want to really do this?" she asked looking over at him. "Then we can't care if one of us is sent out on a run." Moments of silence kept passing between them. "You told Carol to leave me alone, what did you tell her about yourself?"

"Couldn't tell her anything without her thinking something." He looked at her quickly. "Told her I needed to look out for ya. For Wilhelm."

So there it was, more of the fine script.

Couldn't tell Carol anything, couldn't tell anyone anything. All they could—would—know is that he did what did for Wilhelm.

The ache in her knee was growing, spreading. "You want to pretend there's nothing. We're nothing. And you want me to just stand back while Carol—"

"Ya jealous?" he asked with muted shock. She nodded her head.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She scoffed. "I know. It's…it's stupid. But you want me to do nothing while she walks around with that fake smile, thinking that she's won?" Alana shrugged her shoulders. "I can't. I just…I can't."

She could see that Daryl was becoming angry. Whatever he may have thought would occur in their talk, she was guessing it wasn't this. And with each moment that passed he began to understand just how difficult a road they had ahead of them and it was one he didn't want to go down. Wasn't even sure of how to go down it.

His brow was scrunched up, trying to figure out what to do, what to say, to make everything better. To fix things. He just wanted all his cares to be carried away from him.

Alana stood abruptly, catching him off guard as she picked up her gear and started walking to the stairs. Without thinking he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to him. She stumbled slightly, keeping her back to him. With some strength she pulled her hand from his grasp.

"I'm tryin' to give ya what ya want," he exasperated, fighting against his want to slam his fist on the blank monitors in the workstations.

She turned round, slowly nodding her head. "What I want," she said just above a whisper. She looked up to him. "What I want. You don't want this. Do you?"

Daryl couldn't look at her. He could feel the disappointment coming off of her.

"I want ya. Just…don't know how."

She'd never heard such a frail voice come from him, without a hint of self-worth in it. He had caved in on himself right there in front of her. How many others had ever seen him in a moment like this, in a state like this?

Alana's eyes became a bit clearer and she tilted her head up slightly.

When she had stood her chair had rolled away a bit. She came forward and pulled it back next to Daryl, setting her gear back down as she lowered herself into the chair.

It was close to 7AM when Daryl spoke again, saying that he should head back into the prison. "Guess ya should get ready to leave."

Daryl waited at the stairs as Alana picked up her gear. Coming down the stairs she held a hand out, hovering just above his shoulder, ready to steady herself if needed. At the bottom Daryl stopped and turned round to look at her. Even with the aid of the steps she was still shorter than him.

"Be careful out there," he told her and she nodded. "And don't go tacklin' shit."

Alana couldn't stop the smile that crept onto her face.

It was obvious that Daryl was trying to figure out what to do next. The crossbow on her back made a simple hug impossible. And Alana could see the agitation, the embarrassment, begin to set into his face.

"Here," she said to him, leaning her rifle against the wall and reaching up to her neck. He watched her as she unzipped her jacket, pulling at the chain hidden under her shirt. She found the clasp and undid it, clipping the ends back together and handing the chain out to him. Daryl stared at the two rings. Alana took a breath. "In the military, there was always someone back at the base, wherever, that everyone in the unit would know. So, we'd all give them something of ours to hold on to when we went out on a mission." The rings twirled back and forth before them. "That way we always had a reason for having to come back." Alana picked up Daryl's hand and pooled the chain and rings into it. "So I'll come back for it, yeah?"

Daryl eyed her for a second then looked back down at the rings. He curled his fist up and slid the chain into his pocket, nodding his head.

"Right then, off we go." She picked up the rifle and slid past him to the door. She didn't have to, her balance was fine, but Alana reached out and held onto his shoulder for a moment. He followed after her towards the prison.

At the doors he stopped. Someone needed to stay outside and keep watch. When she didn't hear his steps anymore Alana stopped and looked back at him. He was dragging one of the chairs away from the side of the building.

"Tell someone to come out here. I ain't sitting out here all morning."

Alana could see the certainty coming back to him, the self-doubt disappearing. With a nod she headed inside, her steps quietly bouncing off the walls. The echo suddenly doubled and Alana stopped, staring at the corner that she had just turned. Daryl was walking towards her, chewing at his thumb. He looked over her head, down the hall. Seeing no one, he didn't stop till he was right atop of Alana.

"No tackling shit," he reminded her and quickly kissed her cheek. He turned and headed back outside without looking at her again.

**Now Daryl gets to sit around and wait for her! Ha! The tables have turned! **

**You think Carol is gonna be an idiot and try to pull anything while Alana is out?**


	48. Chapter 48

**Thanks for all the reviews! Be sure to leave reviews for this one! **

**Emmalime: Thanks for the help! And…down with the wicked witch Carol! **

**Leyshla Gisel: Yup it's so awkward since Daryl doesn't know anything (: And that bit at the bottom was actually my own list haha, thanks for catching it, already went and deleted it (: **

**Mrskaz453: A flashback to that conversations would be good (: I'll try to work it in to the next chapter; it'd really help to get into Carol's head like that. **

**Emberka-2012: Well Daryl wants to keep things quiet between him and Alana because back at the farm he had it in his head that everyone just thought he was helping Alana out of guilt. But after the farm everyone saw how upset he was when he thought she was dead, how he even almost got himself killed. And also, now that thing's are "official" between him and Alana, he has no clue how to go about things with her. His solution to things is to shut people out. And that includes having to pretend that he and Alana aren't together. **

**And yes, Daryl telling Alana that he wants her, but doesn't know how to do things, really made things clear for her. That pretty much told her that Daryl has never been in a relationship before, so she's going to stand back and allow him to make all the moves so he's comfortable. **

**SaraLostInes: Yup men are so clueless. And it doesn't help that on top of being a clueless man, he's also Daryl Dixon haha. Country lovin! As mrskaz453 says all the time, Carol needs to go mother a walker (: **

**Guest: Daryl is worried about everyone finding out about him and Alana because to him, having the others know that he and Alana are together is too personal for him. He would rather have his space and shut everyone else out. And he doesn't want Carol to find out because her not knowing is the only way he thinks things will be okay. He knows she's unstable. **

**AngieInWonderland: Haha yeah he's all frustrated and yet it was his idea to sneak around! He's gotta man up and get over it. **

**LadyLecter47: Yeah she wouldn't dare try shit if Alana was there (: **

**HerAngrierGnome: Lol I've converted another person to the Hate Carol Club! Welcome Aboard! **

**StrawberriCat: Thanks! Yes there will be moments where I'll think "oh it would be great if Wilhelm then said..' and then I remember he's dead ): And you got it exactly right why Daryl doesn't want the others to know about him and Alana. **

**Limaro: Yup, even though Daryl is hurting too, it doesn't make things any better. Alana's still being hurt too. Only upside is that Alana is willingly going through this for Daryl. He'll hopefully realize that he needs to just come clean with things and make it easier for them. **

**Velvetemr73: Yes! It took forever, but he finally admitted it (: **

**Martine: Awesome! Hopefully when you get back I'll have a ton of new chapters for you to read (: **

**Guest: Here's your update! **

Alana made her way down the halls of the prison. Passing the cafeteria she peeked in and saw Hershel sitting at a table; a book opened before him and a cup of coffee in hand. A coffeemaker was discovered in the breakroom and Hershel had been making good use of it. Alana walked in and poured herself a cup. Hershel pointed to where he had set the sugar and crème, but she shook her head.

"Prefer it black," she told him as she breathed in deeply. She took a sip and looked over the rim of the cup to Hershel. "You mind heading out there? I caught Daryl and asked him—out there now—but he's threatening to fall asleep."

Hershel shook his head as he closed the book and rose from the table. Alana gave him her thanks and followed him out of the cafeteria, the two of them going separate ways.

Alana walked past the cells, tapping on the bars to wake Rick and T-Dog. She held up her wrist with the watch on it, letting them know it was time. Stirring could be heard from a couple of the other cells, but no one woke or came out.

Back in her own cell, Alana began going through her things, picking out what she would need for the day. Along with the rifle and crossbow, she decided to bring along the machete and a handgun. She picked up one of her packs and went through it. Grabbing a handful of clothing from the top bunk she stuffed it all into the pack, along with random packets of food and bottles of water; some full and some empty. Trashcans had been brought out from the offices and placed in the cells. Alana grabbed hers and carried it downstairs. She then went back up to get her pack and weapons. Before heading back down that final time she picked through her food pack, finding the containers of protein powder. She carried it down to the kitchen where she made herself a shake. Rick and T-Dog were in there, eating bowls of cereal. As Alana came to sit down with them Daryl came out from the kitchens.

Rick began speaking to him and Daryl was left with no choice but to sit with them. Not doing so would only have drawn wondering minds.

"I don't want anyone going outside those gates unless walkers get up on the fences," Rick told Daryl. He went on about what needed to be done for the day. It was the same that had to be done everyday. Watch the road, watch the fields, watch the walkers, kill the walkers, check the fences, watch the road.

The three men ate quickly while Alana drank the protein shake.

"When we gonna be getting back?" T-Dog asked Rick, but Rick turned to Alana for an answer.

"Before supper."

The way she said it, it gave them no doubt that they would make it back before supper. Like she wasn't giving them a choice, it was supper or bust.

"We need to dirty up that suburban," she told Rick and T-Dog.

T-Dog snorted. "Hell that won't be too hard to do, just gotta toss some of our clothes in there and some trash."

Alana told them that she had brought down her trashcan as well as a pack filled with random things. T-Dog said he had some stuff he could toss in as well and that some of the bedding Hershel had brought back could be used too. He offered to go ahead and get started on that.

As he rose Daryl dropped his spoon in his bowl and stood, saying he'd help him out.

Rick kept his head down, watching the two as they left, before turning his eyes on Alana.

"You sort your business out?" he asked her.

Alana gulped down the last bit of her shake. "It's been taken care of." Her tone was indifferent, more lifeless and careless than those automatic answering machines one would get when all you wanted was to speak with a live person.

"Good," Rick told her. The two of them rose and headed into the kitchens to rinse out their bowl and bottle. Because they were alone, Rick took the moment to ask her, "If we run into trouble and can't get out of it, what's the plan then?" He was not all that surprised when Alana quickly answered him.

She _tap tap-tapped_ on the sink with her index finger. "Three shots." She told him of the handgun she was taking. "It's not exactly quiet without the silencer on it. Should be loud enough it'll echo. I'm putting Andrea up in the guard tower. She'll be our eyes and ears back here."

Rick agreed with the plan.

They headed into the cellblock together to see T-Dog and Daryl had made a small pile of things to throw in the suburban. Daryl was walking back from one of the bottom cells where they kept all the weapons; he had a few handguns and crowbars and baseball bats. All their moving around had woken the others up and slowly they came out to see what was going on. Rick said to start getting everything into the suburban. Glenn came out and helped them along with Dale.

As the supplies were loaded into the suburban Alana brought out her map, laying it out on the hood. Rick and T-Dog came around to take a look.

"Might be that whoever it was, they stopped over in the town," Alana offered. "Since we never saw them, we'll wait till we near the farm, then take it slow. Chances are, if we find anyone, it'll be somewhere around here," she said, making a circle that encompassed the town and a few of the houses she and Daryl had searched. The others had gathered round them, listening to her. She could see the worry on their faces. "Only places for someone to hole up in would be the town—those other houses were too close to the woods. It'd only be a good idea to stay in one of them for a night. Maybe too."

"What are you gonna do if you find someone?" Carl asked, the only one willing to voice what all of them were thinking.

"We'll deal with them." She looked over and saw Maggie carrying a small bag the guns had been put in. "Here, give me that." She reached out and took the bag, walking over to the passenger side of the suburban and opening the glove department. She stuck one gun in there and. She moved to the back doors, pulling herself into the seat. She handed a gun to Rick and told him to go to the other side. Alana looked over to Carl who had come up beside her, watching as she cut into the back of the seat with a knife. "_If_ we run into someone and they're a bad person, we want them to think we're weak." She put the safety on the gun and shoved it into the hole she had made. Rick did the same with a knife T-Dog had handed him. There were two guns left and the two men held onto them. She looked over the backseats to the blankets and junk that was already in place. Looked like T-Dog and Daryl had smeared some oil around. One of the gasoline cans had been placed behind the front seats she noted.

"We'll be back before dinner," Rick told the group. The others remained silently pessimistic. There was nothing Rick could do about that. He believed they would be back before dinner. It's what Alana had told him. She may have been stubborn, but she was always right as well it seemed.

Everyone was saying his or her goodbyes. Alana stood back as they did so. Michonne came forward, hands at her waist, and nodded. Andrea walked up beside her. Alana used the moment with both of them to let them know about the distress signal she'd give if something happened.

"You just make sure you don't have to use it," Andrea told her.

Maggie came up and gave her a hug with a smile. "I'll save you a plate for dinner." Alana smirked.

Glenn had his hands in his pockets, eyes darting left and right. He leaned in and said, "Stuck three sodas in the back, under the blankets." Alana did her best to not start laughing.

"Thanks, may keep that to myself," she mused.

She turned to get into the driver's seat and was stopped by Dale who stood there with his arms wide and an expectant smile on his face. He was sure to avoid her shoulder even though it did not hurt as much now; there was a tenderness to it now. "Keep those two out of trouble," he jokingly said of Rick and T-Dog.

Alana held onto the driver's side door and pulled herself up. Rick sat in the front with her and T-Dog in the back. Daryl and Axel were opening the gates, standing back as Alana slowly drove the car through.

To anyone else it would have meant nothing; just a simple gesture. To Alana, it caused her pulse to jump and then slowly come back down.

Daryl stood at the gates, one hand in the pocket that held the rings.

WDWDWDWD

They drove with the windows down, each having their own task at hand. Alana watched the road ahead, Rick looked to the treeline, and T-Dog kept an eye on the road behind them. The random car here and there that they passed, if not already checked by Alana and Andrea on their drive, was checked by the three of them. There was a strand of anticipation flowing between the three of them that couldn't be shaken loose. They came upon turn-off's from the main road that Andrea had marked on the map as being either blocked or open. Alana would stop the car at the empty roads.

She looked over her seat to T-Dog. "Stay here, we'll go check it out." Rick would go with her and walk a ways down the empty road while T-Dog sat in the driver's seat, ready to come down and meet them if needed.

The road looked as empty as the main one.

The procedure was repeated at each road they came across. A walker or two would appear from the woods and be dealt with. There'd be a noise from the woods and Alana and Rick would stand still, waiting to spot movement or for the noise to be repeated.

When they neared the farm T-Dog began chuckling in the backseat. Rick looked over his shoulder at him, waiting to hear what was so funny. Alana was concentrating on avoiding the cars that littered the road. T-Dog flipped his hand at the road, at the cars.

"They said the road was blocked man."

Rick looked back ahead of them, to the cars, a slow smirk coming across his face. In all the urgency to get away from the farm that night, no one had stopped and realized that the stretch of abandoned cars was far, far shorter than what Wilhelm and Alana had told them. The two men laughed as Alana bit back a smile.

"None of you even went to check," she told them. Of course, they had had no reason to believe they needed to do such a thing.

"Well, lucky for us you were on our side," said Rick.

The moment quickly diminished as the car came up along the turn off for the farm. Alana had kept her eyes straight ahead as they passed the spot where she and Andrea had come looking for the group. She held back the resentment that rose up in her throat like bile; now was not the time. She needed to focus.

Alana stopped the suburban and killed the engine. The three of them stared down the dirt road. The crushed bodies of walkers were still scattered all over the place. Alana climbed out from behind the wheel and walked to the front of the car, rifle in hand. Rick and T-Dog followed after her. The latter stood by the driver's door, just in case. They looked for any sign that someone had been down the road. Alana walked back to the abandoned cars, looking inside of them. Whoever had come this way might have stopped to check the cars for anything they could take. There were no obvious signs that someone had dug through the cars. There was nothing that stood out to the three of them.

Rick suggested that they might have headed towards the town.

Alana walked over to the suburban, looking back and forth down the road. She squinted her eyes against the sun. None of the cars looked like they had been moved.

There was no way of telling which way that bike had come from. Just because they hadn't heard or seen anything back at the prison didn't mean that bike hadn't gone by. The prison was far off from the highway. If the bike had stuck to it they would have never known. Alana knew one thing though. If they had headed towards the prison, they had no clue it was there. Or the motorbike was on its own, without a group, and didn't want to chance it…or they could have been a scout. They could be coming back with a group.

"Let's check the town," Alana told the two men. On the short drive there she mentioned her thoughts to them about whoever was on that bike. She knew what their suggestions would be. "We can't block the roads leading to the prison. Someone comes up to it, seeing a blockade will just make them want to come looking even more. And we have to keep the way open for ourselves."

"So…there's really nothing we can do," T-Dog said.

Rick didn't like the statement, but it was true. There was only so much that could be done. "We've cleaned the town out. And like Alana said, the other houses round here aren't safe enough to set up camp."

"But whoever came through," T-Dog said, "they know someone else was here. All the walkers we've killed and left on the road."

Alana shook her head. "They didn't see the ones heading to the farm. If they had they would have gone looking and found the others there…which means they didn't go past it." It was true; a handful of walker bodies could be seen from the highway.

"So whichever way they came from, they turned around," added Rick. "Let's just hope it wasn't towards the prison."

WDWDWDWD

When the car had disappeared down the road the group headed back inside the prison. No one was really able to go back to sleep and so they all mulled around in the cafeteria for breakfast. Andrea had eaten quickly and headed back outside to take Hershel's place and sit up in the guard tower. It was a bit tricky, but she was able to get one of the chairs outside on the balcony. Maggie later came up and joined her. Hershel had gone into the greenhouse, Glenn not too far behind him. Andrea then spotted them going to the garage. Likely to tend to the horses. There were no walkers to be seen and so the two of them brought the horses out to the baseball field to graze sometime after 9AM.

Daryl did his best to ignore the time, but it was the one thing he couldn't run away from. He did what he could to keep himself occupied, but it was to no avail. He found himself looking at Alana's cell, staring down the hallways, looking down the road, up towards the guard tower. Every time waiting to see her.

There was nothing to be done around the prison. Andrea had the guard tower covered with Maggie. Hershel and Glenn saw to the horses. Dale sat with Carl, shaving down the stakes. The others were inside C-Block.

Daryl found himself more than once standing in place, without a clue as to what he should do. It was no wonder Rick always seemed on the verge of snapping. Hell, he had snapped. Back there on the road, when the group doubted his leadership.

He was standing at the opened gates, watching as Hershel and Glenn led the two horses round. He felt his upper lip twitch as he looked at Nervous Nelly. Big ass horse and it was scared of a stupid snake. Damn thing could have just stomped on it.

It became obvious that the horses wouldn't be wanting to come back inside anytime soon, there was too much grass to be eaten. At the realization, Daryl walked back towards the prison to drag a chair over to the fence. At first he thought that sitting down would make things a bit easier.

It didn't.

With a huff he stood up and headed inside. Inside his cell, he pulled _A Game of Thrones_ from his pile of things. Might as well get some reading done before Alana got too far ahead again, he thought. Daryl paused in his cell, book in one hand while the other went into his pocket, rolling the two rings between his fingers. A quick glance out the bars and he put the book down on the bed. He undid the top buttons of his shirt (and it actually had the sleeves still attached) then pulled the chain out from his pocket. Turning his back to the cell entrance, he peeked over his shoulders as he quickly put the chain round his neck, tucking it inside his shirt. He did up the top buttons and threw on his leather vest. Feeling round the collar, Daryl's fingers didn't come in contact with the chain.

Grabbing the book, he headed back outside to sit and read. Sit and wait. He must have read the same page a dozen times, none of its contents sinking in. He couldn't shake a feeling of stupidity. Putting the rings round his neck—like that would bring her back any faster. Like it would make him feel any better that she was out there without him. Daryl could not understand the point of it all. Having these sentimental objects. What was the point? These things weren't the actual person.

His thoughts remained on the rings and it did little to calm his nerves. Daryl would think of one thing, it'd bring him some sort of peace, but then that slithering voice would creep in. Bringing a venom with it. Her leaving the ring behind with him meant he'd have the opportunity to actually give it to her. He had never really intended to give her the ring when he first took it from that house, but he still thought about it. The thoughts would end with him telling himself how stupid it was; him giving her a ring. So what if jewelry was something that women liked? There were more important things now that some stupid rings and necklaces.

It didn't keep him from thinking about it though.

Daryl also thought of the other ring she had given to him. Wilhelm's ring. He was utterly confused by it. Why would she allow him to hold onto it? Her brother's ring. As much as he thought that a tiny object such as a ring could never truly represent the actual person, Daryl still believed it wrong that Alana had given it to him. That ring needed to stay with her. Why would she give it to him?

He did his best to not allow the answer to come to mind. That answer was a double-edged sword and there was no safe way of holding it.

His thoughts fell back to what she had told him when she gave him the rings. Leaving something behind to come back to. She _would_ leave the other part out, only feeding him what he wanted to hear, what would calm him.

There was another reason why the soldiers left something behind.

So that there'd be a part of them that remained even if they never returned.

The chain grew heavy round his neck.

It felt like a noose.

WDWDWDWD

He heard footsteps coming up behind him, but Daryl didn't bother to turn around.

The horses had been brought back in from the fields, the gates closed behind them. Andrea was still up in the guard tower with Maggie. Daryl had tried to go up there and kick them both out, wanting to sit up there himself. Alone. Andrea had refused to move, saying that Alana had told her to stay up there. There was a hint of distaste in her tone towards him. He left without another word, fuming at the thought that Alana had prepared for if the situation went wrong. It was the smart thing to do, but the fact that there was a possibility of trouble angered him. He should be out there with her, he thought.

He'd give anything to be able to shoot a walker. He needed some way to vent. Just one walker. That's all he wanted.

As luck would have it, there were no walker sightings.

And there was nothing for him to do to distract himself. The stakes were all done by the time he thought of helping out. There was nothing to be done in the greenhouse.

Once again Daryl tried to read his book. He sat on the floor just inside the prison doors. At least from there no one could see him plainly; he was just far enough in that not even Andrea would be able to spot him.

Michonne came walking down the hallway, a basketball under her arm. She stopped in front of Daryl and looked down at the book, tilting her head just a bit to read the spine.

"Ain't never heard of a redneck that could read?" Daryl asked with a huff, pushing himself up against the wall.

The way that woman rarely said anything to him irked Daryl. What the hell was she thinking in that head? She was always watching the rest of them. Without a word she walked past him and headed to the basketball court outside. Daryl could vaguely hear her say something to Carl. The echo of the ball hitting concrete came to Daryl's ears.

His head snapped up. Dropped the book he got up walked over to the other side of the building.

"Hey!" he barked at them. He pointed out towards the fields. "Wanna ring the dinner bell a it louder?"

Dale was out there as well. He stood from his chair, looking over at Carl and Michonne. "Let's head into the gym," he told them with a smile. "Wind's starting to pick up."

Daryl shook his head and walked away. He picked up the book in the hallway and headed to the cafeteria. He sat back in the corner so that anyone passing in the hallway wouldn't have seen him. It moved slowly, but he was able to actually comprehend what he was reading in the book.

He was interrupted from the reading when Carol came walking into the cafeteria. He popped his head up for a second before looking back down at the book, trying to find his place.

"You doing alright?" she asked with warm concern.

Daryl grumbled a response; something about Rick needing to hurry his ass and get back, that he was done with playing leader.

"You want something to eat? I can make you something?" she asked. She had gone in there to make a pitcher of tea. Daryl shook his head, staring down at the book, trying to continue reading. "Well here," she said, coming towards his table with the tea. "Nothing's better than some sweet tea when you're stressed." Clearly never had a beer, he thought. "Know it can't be easy, Rick putting you in charge."

Wasn't easy sitting in there while Alana was out there.

Without an invitation Carol sat down at the table. She had brought two glasses along with the pitcher of tea. She asked him what he was reading. Daryl shrugged his shoulders.

"Book 'bout midgets and tits," he told her, eyes still on the book as he turned the page.

He just wanted to be left alone. He just wanted to Alana to come back already. Irony was that even after she got back there wouldn't be a damn thing he could do but try to catch hidden glimpses of her until that evening.

Wrapped up in his efforts to shut everyone out and distract his thoughts from Alana, Daryl barely paid attention to Carol. Yet the woman stayed put.

A tension filled the air when noise was heard in the hallway. It was Carl talking excitedly to Michonne who remained fairly quiet as they entered the cafeteria. When he saw Daryl and Carol, Carl began telling them about how amazing Michonne was at basketball. She had apparently played on the girl's team in high school. "I bet, if she was a bit taller, she could dunk the ball!" Carl said. Dale followed behind the two of them, repeating what Carl had said as the truth. The way Carol looked at them, the way she joined the conversation, and the way she looked to Daryl…it was like she had created this perfect little world in her head and was trying to bring it into reality. She asked Daryl if he ever played any sports. It was like she was trying to make him part of the group. Of the family.

He couldn't see it—didn't know how to see it.

All of this was new to him.

Daryl momentarily looked up from the book and caught Michonne looking over the wall. There was a clock high up on it, behind its own little cage of bars.

It was getting close to 4PM.

As if on cue, he could hear Maggie down the hall. With the first word out of her mouth that floated down into the cafeteria Daryl was up and walking.

"They're back!"

WDWDWDWD

The entire group made it outside to greet Alana, Rick, and T-Dog. Everyone waited with anxiety. T-Dog was the first to get out. He shook his head.

"Didn't find anything."

"Whoever it was, they left," Rick added, closing the passenger's door. He looked over the hood to Alana then back to the group. "They didn't know the farm was there."

Dale asked what everyone was wondering. "Do you think they were part of Randall's group?"

Alana shouldered her crossbow and carried her rifle. "It's possible. Might be that they sent someone out to look for us. They have no clue how many of us there are, so they need to assess if we're a threat or not."

"But they didn't find the farm," Rick said again. "Far as they know, we were just passing through like them. And even if they do find the farm there's nothing there to lead them here to us."

Rick could see that the group was only partially content with what he told them. He'd have to think of what could be done to make sure no one else came across the prison.

Michonne came up to Alana, grabbing the crossbow from her back. She could see that Alana was limping more than she had been when she left the prison that morning. They must have done a lot of walking around. "I'll bring your things to your cell," Michonne told her.

Alana looked up to the guard tower and saw Andrea smirk down at her.

Daryl stood back and watched as Maggie walked Alana into the prison, her steps just a second behind her, keeping an eye on her knee. Knowing he couldn't just walk back into the prison after her, Daryl went to the suburban and began taking things out. The group started going back inside.

"Leave the junk in there," Rick said from behind Daryl. "Just bring the supplies back in. We may have to head back out."

Daryl didn't like the suggestion of going back out, but he did as Rick said. When the group had gone back inside or were out of earshot, Daryl asked him if they really hadn't seen anything.

Rick shook his head. "We didn't see anything. Went into the town, nothing looked out of place...Alana said she and Andrea had stayed in one of the buildings, so she remembered where things were." Rick lowered his voice. "We don't know which way they came from, but we're positive they didn't go past the farm."

"Ya think they gonna come back?"

"I don't know. Alana doesn't think we'll have any trouble from whoever it was, but she's gonna think up some things, precautions we can take. Make sure no one finds us here."

Daryl didn't even look up at Rick's mention of Alana.

"Was there any trouble back here?" Rick asked him.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah. Didn't even have any walkers show up."

He walked away, carrying the guns that Alana had hidden in the back of the seats. He dumped them in one of the cells. Now with Rick back, he felt that he could go off without anyone knowing where he was and not worry about someone coming to look for him. He headed off towards A-Block. They had never really gone through the place to strip it of supplies and random items. Inmates were allowed to keep little personal items in their cells; Daryl figured he could waste the rest of the day going through the cells.

He hadn't made eye contact once with Alana since she returned.

WDWDWDWD

It actually felt worse to be off of her feet Alana discovered when she went to her cell to lay down. It was then that the pain really hit her. Though she had the brace on, with the amount of walking she had done that day her knee was screaming. She pulled herself up from the bottom bunk to grab at her pile of medications. After taking two painkillers she laid back down and waited for them to kick in. Although, waiting for them to kick in only made it seem to take longer.

When Maggie volunteered to take over the watch, Andrea came and visited Alana. Seeing that it would be best for Alana to just stay put, she leaned against the cell wall.

"So no trouble out on the road?" she asked.

Alana laughed. "Other than the excruciating pain that came every time I pushed on the brake, no trouble."

Andrea laughed. With a peek outside the cell—she hadn't seen Daryl in his—she told Alana about him coming up into the tower. "You should have seen his face. Mentioning you was like throwing acid on him." Her face became a bit serious. "What's going on with him? Did you guys…talk? About the other day?"

Alana turned her head towards Andrea. "There's nothing between us," she said in a clear voice. "Never really was."

Andrea got the sense that Alana didn't want to talk about things. And she didn't. It wasn't difficult, lying, but the less she had to actually lie the better.

"I'll bring you a plate when dinner's ready," Andrea said before leaving.

True to her word, Andrea did bring her a plate when dinner was ready. Even went and refilled her water bottles in the evening. Rick came and visited her, telling her of a plan he had. He wanted to have her go out with another group in a couple of days. Apparently Hershel had cornered him while Alana was in her cell and told him that they'd be needing to head out to get supplies and feed for the horses. Rick saw it as a chance to scope out the area a bit better. He wanted to know of all the roads that led to the prison; which ones were open and which ones were blocked. After a short discussion he left, it having been decided that once Alana was up to it she'd go out with a group to get supplies and check a few roads.

Alana didn't have a clue what was going on in the prison. Since going into her cell she hadn't seen Daryl at all. Hadn't even heard him go into his cell. She knew she shouldn't get up and so she didn't. With careful, slow movements, Alana sat up, removing her boots. She kept the brace on; last thing she wanted was to make the wrong move in her sleep and have to fight the urge to chop her knee off. Sliding out of the jacket Alana let it slip to the floor.

She took a look at her watch before putting her head down on the pillow, one arm underneath it, gripping at the hidden shirt.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl hadn't really looked around in the cells for things. He was looking for a distraction. For something that would hurry the day to an end. Carol had come looking for him when dinner was ready. And when back in the cafeteria it was seen that Alana wouldn't be joining them, she sat with Daryl and Dale. Dale did his best to hide his discomfort. Everyone else seemed to ignore it. Daryl most of all.

When heading back to his cell he saw a sight that made his gut twist in knots. Andrea was helping Alana down the stairs. She had gone up to check on Alana before she herself went to bed. She said she had to use the restroom, but didn't think the stairs were her friend at the moment. They were only a few steps from the top and he could see how Alana nearly had all of her weight supported by Andrea. He left and went to the cafeteria to get a glass of water that he didn't need. When he came back out, Alana and Andrea had gone from view. He then busied himself inside his cell, making sure to keep his back turned while Andrea helped Alana back to her cell.

As everyone went to bed Daryl laid awake in his bed, still fully clothed.

WDWDWDWD

She wasn't sure what time it was when she turned her head and saw Daryl sitting on the floor next to her bed. She let go of the shirt that was hidden under the blankets, doing her best to turn her body fully round to face him. At her slow movements he reached out to help her sit up. She wanted to swing her legs over the side and properly sit up, but the bunk began to make too much noise and so she stopped. She looked down at Daryl who had sat back down on the floor facing her. Alana watched as he shrugged out of his vest and undid the top buttons of his shirt. The glint of the chain caught her eye.

With his head down Daryl handed her the chain and rings back. He looked up while she hooked it back round her neck, tucking the rings into her shirt. It had belonged to Wilhelm. It was big on her, but with the chill in the prison he knew it couldn't be enough for her. Seeing a peek of his shirt under the covers, Daryl nodded towards it, holding a hand out. Alana passed the shirt to him. He was careful as he put his weight onto the mattress, leaning over Alana to help her into the shirt. She felt like she was drowning in the large clothes, but she did feel a bit warmer.

He wanted to shift his entire weight onto the bunk and lay down with her. But he just knew that if he did the noise metal shifting against metal would wake someone. And he knew that if he laid down he'd fall asleep, risking being found in there with her in the morning. He needed to get back to his own cell. To his own bed. Daryl glanced down at her hands and saw her playing with the sleeves of his shirt.

He jerked his head to the front of the bed and stood, helping her to lay back down. "Ya warm enough?" he asked quietly, pulling the blankets back up for her. She nodded. He grazed her hand and felt the chill of her skin. Daryl turned her wrist over to look at the time. It was half past 2AM; next shift change would be in about three hours. He wanted to lay down with her, but couldn't see how that would work out well. Her knee must be hurting terribly and that mattress was so small; he'd be sure to knock it at some point if he tried to lay down with her. He could see that she was thinking the same thing.

Daryl stood up and left the cell, coming back after a moment with a blanket from his own cell. He sat back down on the floor next to Alana's bed, wrapping himself up in it. He also had the small desk clock and he put it on the floor in front of him. He'd stay there for maybe two hours and then go back to his own cell. Alana turned onto her right side to face him.

"Get some sleep," he whispered.

It was almost 5AM when Daryl started to stand. When he looked back down he saw Alana had opened her eyes. She looked at her watch and saw the time. She had peeked her hand out to hold onto the blanket he was wrapped in. Daryl bent down, tucking her hand back under the covers.

"Gonna get a damn cold," he muttered. Alana couldn't help but smile at the comment. His hands were freezing too, although she didn't say anything about it. Not knowing what else to do—saying he would see her later sounded too silly for he didn't know when he'd get the next chance—he leaned down and kissed her cheek. As he pulled away he felt her turning her head and he nearly grazed her lips.

Daryl left the cell without another glance at her.

Lying down in his own cell, he could hear and feel his heart pounding against his chest.

**Oh snap! Daryl had a little freakout there at the end. Haha, poor guy. But it's all progress, guy's gotta go through it (: **

**So, Rick's gonna send Alana back out for a supply run. Wonder how Daryl will react to that…maybe this time he'll make sure he goes with the group. **

**And Carol with her "she thinks she's sneaky" ways, trying to play all nice with Daryl. You think she's slowly up to something? **

**I shall be back next week with another chapter (: What do you guys think should happen next? **


	49. Chapter 49

**Thank you all for the reviews! I've been so busy I haven't had a chance to reply back to all of you or reply back here on this chapter; had hoped to get this new one posted Sunday but according to the time it's 6AM Monday! **

**This chapter pretty much sums up about a week at the prison while Alana is resting up for the supply run.**

**Enjoy!**

Daryl was right in not knowing when he'd have a chance to be alone with Alana the next day. And it remained the same for the following days.

Because the supply run for the horses would not occur until Alana was recovered, there were no other outings from the prison, aside from the killing of walkers that came into the fields and the grazing of the horses in said fields. It was something that was welcomed by the group; there was no worrying about losing someone. In those days it was likely the first time since arriving at the prison that the group began to truly believe as a whole that they could make something out of that place. Make a living. They were all given the moment to stand back and breathe easy.

But breathing easily was not something that Daryl found came to him effortlessly. Rick had spoken during breakfast the day after returning with Alana and T-Dog about sending another group out. Alana was not there to hear what he said; she remained asleep in her cell. Rick had told them his plan soon as everyone was inside the cafeteria, aside from Alana and Axel, who had morning watch. At first Daryl had no complaint towards the idea, but then he began to piece things together. It wasn't long before Rick confirmed with his words what Daryl was thinking.

Rick had a way with making sure others listened to him, but were not allowed the chance to challenge him. He had made sure everyone who could make it to breakfast was there. He made sure that the food was not yet served. He caught them off guard. And then he turned his back before anyone could say a thing. It was beyond an ultimatum; there were no consequences to be had because there would be no objection.

His declaration was simple.

A group would be sent out to bring back supplies for the horses and check the roads that led to the prison on the way. Alana would be leading the group. They'd leave as soon as Alana was ready to go.

That was why Rick had made sure they showed up that morning. To show that there would be no questioning Alana's role in the group, the role that he was giving her. While truly the only ones who needed to hear this were Lori and Carol, Rick knew that choosing Alana for such a role in the group would cause opposition. She was not at full strength and sending her outside the prison would be too tasking on her.

In Daryl's eyes, things only became worse when Rick said that from that point on Alana would be heading every group outing. He wanted to object to the decision, but remained quiet, knowing he couldn't say anything. He wanted to go straight to Alana's cell—he didn't care if she was sleeping, he'd wake her reckless ass—and tell her she wasn't going outside the prison. That she needed to stay right where she was. But instead he stayed right where he was.

He was actually relieved to hear Dale chime in, as always letting his heart lead his mouth.

"She's hurt. We can't keep sending her out there. You saw how she was yesterday when you got back here."

Rick would hear none of it though. "That's why the next group won't be heading out until she's ready. I already spoke with her and she agreed to this." He said that nothing else would be discussed until Alana was ready. Didn't even say how many people would be going or where they'd be going. Didn't know how long they may be away from the prison.

Daryl did know one thing. He sure as hell wouldn't be staying behind this time.

Knowing that he wouldn't allow Alana to go out there without him proved to do little to ease his tension though. Because Rick had decided that the group would not head out until Alana was ready, and that meant everyone was remaining at the prison, the list of things to do quickly became short. There was only so much that could be done around the prison. Even with as large as the place was, Daryl felt like he was suffocating.

That first day he kept himself busy by staying up in the guard tower after seeing that Alana would be keeping to her cell. And he knew there was no way he could find a moment during the day to be alone with her. In the evening he wasn't given a watch shift, so he sat in his cell, eyes skimming over the clock. Waiting for the right time to go to Alana. He ended up waiting till an hour into the second shift. He brought the blanket and clock with him again, ready to sit on the floor next to Alana's bed. When he saw that she was lying facing the wall, completely unaware that he was in there, he thought it best to just go back to his own cell. He knew that if she woke and saw him she'd stay awake until he left. And he wouldn't leave until the end of the third shift. She needed her rest. Daryl didn't want to be the reason she remained unwell. He picked up her jacket from the foot of the bunks and laid it over her shoulders before heading back to his own cell.

She'd know it was him that had put it there.

That next day he had passed her in the hallways. Alana had her jacket on over a worn grey shirt; Daryl noticed earlier that Maggie had taken a bundle of Alana's dirty clothes to wash. She tugged a bit on the bottom of the jacket and nodded at him.

She knew it had been him.

WDWDWDWD

By the end of the third day everyone had seemed to break off into their own routines to fill the time. Andrea spent most of her time up in the guard tower. She had spoken with Alana during dinner one night, telling her how she understood now why she was able to stay up there all day.

"It's nice to just…be alone. Like the world can't reach you up there."

Alana agreed with her. And as silly as it may have sounded, both concurred that it actually felt a bit warmer up in the guard tower. The sun was still so very far away, but they were that much closer to it than the others.

Michonne spent the time wandering through the rest of the prison, spending a portion of her time in the gym. She had mentioned a few more times to Alana that there was a leg press in there. Alana still wasn't ready to try it out just yet.

Axel, if not wandering around on his own, could always be seen sitting outside in one of the chairs, staring off through the fields. Sometimes he would head over to the greenhouse, asking Hershel random farming questions. Other times he could be seen tagging along behind T-Dog, walking the prison grounds. He still had his collection of off-colored remarks, but, according to others, was nowhere near as bad as Merle. Once, when Axel saw Alana trying to walk about without the brace, he suggested just rolling around in a wheelchair. "Shave your head too. Start calling yourself Xavier." He gave a crackling dry laugh and kept walking past her. A moment later Andrea came walking up to her with the brace; Axel had told her what she was trying to do.

And anytime Carl went off somewhere on his own, it was always Axel who knew exactly where he was.

If Carl wasn't off on his own, he was tagging along with Rick or Glenn while they sat up in the guard tower or walked the fences. More and more Rick was allowing him to come along when they ventured outside the gates to take care of walkers. He was never allowed to fire the gun Rick had given him though. And he was still small compared to the walkers, so he wasn't allowed to kill any with the baseball bats or machetes. It could be seen on his face that he was unhappy with the rules put on him, but Rick did his best to give him some sort of importance. Having him sit up in the guard tower or standing guard over the gates to keep an eye out while they killed walkers. Sometimes at night Carl couldn't sleep and he'd go outside to sit with whoever was on watch. Dale always did his best to make him feel important to the group if he was on watch when he came out. He'd ask him to watch a section of the field (although he would still skim his eyes over that part) or to keep an eye out while he headed back inside to use the restroom or walk the grounds.

With the time Rick spent keeping watch, and with Carl finding someone's shadow to follow, Lori was left to her self. She would sometimes sit outside with Maggie and Carol while they washed clothes. But for the most part she remained inside C-Block. Alana had seen her one day in the library while she was bringing back the books she no longer needed. Doing her best to just put the books back where she had found them, Alana intended to leave with as little interaction as possible, but Lori had other intentions.

"I'm still having those migraines," she had told Alana as she stood at the head of one of the aisles. "Is there anything I could take?"

Alana stared down at her feet for a moment. "I'll see if I have anything." The weakest medication she had was aspirin and so during dinner she handed Lori the bottle, telling her to take half a pill once a day for a few days. If that didn't help, then she could take a whole one. She told Rick that it would be fine; she had spoken with Hershel beforehand. Lori voiced her gratitude; Alana still wondered what Rick had said to her to bring this change out in her. But she knew she'd likely never learn what it was. Perhaps he never said anything. Maybe holding onto such negativity had finally worn her out. Maybe she realized it was a losing battle she fought.

Hershel could always be found in the greenhouse, even if there wasn't anything for him to do. He'd still go in there. Alana would receive visits from him, checking in to see how her knee was doing and also if the antibiotics were helping out. He had told her she'd just need one more week of them and then it should be safe to stop taking them.

He and Glenn would also take the horses out into the field after the walkers had been cleared. Alana had noticed how Glenn was spending more time around Hershel. And how Hershel would, in that southern habit, politely order him about to go do this or go grab that. And each time Glenn would get a nod of approval afterwards.

Because Andrea and Michonne kept themselves relatively busy, Maggie would always be popping in on Alana, making sure she had everything she needed. Alana would catch her wandering from spot to spot; at first doing laundry, then taking a watch shift, finishing with preparing supper. Out of everyone, it was Maggie who showed fluidity in taking on every task there was at the prison. And she never complained. Every time she came to check on Alana, she had a smile on her face.

T-Dog spent a lot of time either helping Rick out or being followed around by Axel. They would be seen standing off, chatting away quietly, and laughing randomly at comments the other made. Alana discovered that breakfast became more…adventurous…thanks to T-Dog after a few days. The man said that breakfast was his specialty. It had started one morning when he was coming back inside from his shift and was hungry. So he took it upon himself to take a look round the kitchens and see what there was for him to work with. On that morning Alana woke to Maggie holding a plate of powdered (with pancake batter added to fluff them up) scrambled eggs mixed with dried bits of bacon and chopped onion, topped with biscuits and gravy. T-Dog even threw in some of the dried bacon bits into the white gravy.

Alana had nearly been tempted to make her way down the stairs to get a second plate that morning.

She wasn't given any day or night shifts, so Alana found herself not being very active within the group. Dale didn't hesitate to come and keep her informed of what was happening or to idly chat with her. It had been a while since she and Dale had spoken at any great length. It was comforting to revisit those chats. For the most part.

The chats began innocently; Dale would tell her about random moments from the day he had seen or heard. One day he asked her if she knew why there were three separate buildings for the prison. He then went on to tell her how each one was designated for inmates that committed particular crimes. She learned a great lot about the penal system that day. She learned a great many things that week from him. He was like a walking history and factual book. Many things he knew of served no purpose to him—such as knowing that the last Russian czar's wife and daughters were wearing portraits of Rasputin in lockets round their necks when they were killed—but they were still interesting nonetheless. It came to be that Alana could rely to receive a visit from Dale everyday, each time with a new story to hear. There were a few times where she would do the talking, mostly about life back at home.

It was towards the end of the week that Dale had first brought up Daryl in their discussions and it did not leave Alana pleased.

He had only asked if she was doing okay. Alana had, at first, thought he meant her health. How her knee was recovering. But the look he gave when she answered told her he wasn't referring to her knee. They were sitting outside on the basketball court and it was a rare day because Daryl had actually beaten Andrea up to the guard tower. Dale's eyes wandered up towards it and Alana knew the true meaning behind his question.

"I'm fine," she had told him again. The way she said it warned Dale to not pursue the topic. Alana didn't believe that he would drop it though and so she made the excuse that she was feeling tired and left for her cell.

On the way in she had passed by Carol, just as she had multiple times since coming back with Rick and T-Dog.

The woman's actions were queer. Her lack of actions were queer. After that day, when Daryl had spoken with her, Carol hadn't once approached Alana, said anything to her, or done anything. She still catered to Daryl, but the man showed her the smallest of notice. Yet she kept at it.

It disturbed Alana. She couldn't possibly be content, could she? She had to be planning something. Or was it just the simple fact that it was she and not Alana who showed Daryl attention that bothered Alana? She tried to think back, to pinpoint when it was that Carol had begun harboring ill will towards her. She had been so grateful that she and Wilhelm were going out to search for Sophia. That she and Daryl had risked their lives while doing so. And when Daryl came back to the farm after falling down the ravine, that night it was Carol who had asked Alana to take him a plate of food.

But…that day…when Glenn had told them there were walkers in the barn. That was the day. Carol had said something to her. About Daryl. And then she heard her talking with Daryl. She had said nothing when Carol spoke and then she backtracked, having thought there was something between her and Daryl. And with Daryl, he had said there was nothing between them.

Was that when it started?

It had to be.

That was when they found Sophia.

The woman had nothing. Maybe this is why she gave her attention to Daryl. Why she rallied behind him, attempted to encourage him. Dale had told Alana of that night on the road after the farm, how Carol had tried to persuade Daryl to break off from Rick. To become their new leader.

Was this truly all just some way for Carol to fill a void she felt she had? It had to be, Alana thought. There could be no true feelings there. It all made sense then; before she had been so angry. Alana hadn't bothered to really think on the matter, she only wanted to defend herself at the time.

As much as Alana wanted to confront Carol, Daryl had told her not to. And he had told Carol to leave her alone. So far she had. She still did these little things for Daryl that irritated Alana, but she had done nothing more. The jealousy was still there for Alana though; the fact that she and Daryl had to remain a secret, just to keep fragile Carol stable.

Part of her wanted nothing more than to tell Carol, to show her, that there really was something between her and Daryl.

But then she risked losing Daryl.

She had never been one for following after others. Even in the military she did things in her own little ways. With Daryl though, she had no choice. If Alana wanted anything from him—if she wanted him—she had to do things as he wanted to. That night when Daryl told her he wanted her, but didn't know what to do about it, it made things very clear for Alana. She had to approach everything between them as if it were his first time, because for him she believed there were many never's in his past.

It was for seeing those never's become first's that Alana refrained from approaching Carol. And in return her consolation was Daryl and every moment they were able to have together.

Every night he would come into her cell and sit on the floor next to her bed. Some nights he would stay there for hours, others, only for a few minutes. He had thought of suggesting she toss out the metal bunk frame and just lay the mattresses on the floor. He'd be able to lie with her then. But he didn't think it would be good for her knee. Alana had seen the pensive look on his face that night and asked what he was thinking. He told her.

"Maybe when ya leg is better," he whispered, leaning back a bit towards the entrance, checking to make sure no one was up and walking downstairs. It was close to shift change. He got ready to go back to his cell when Alana ventured to share a thought.

"You could get rid of yours. If you wanted." She added the last bit, not knowing if Daryl would want her to come to his cell instead during the nights.

The next day, while Alana had gone into the cafeteria to find something to eat for lunch, Daryl grabbed two extra bed sheets and tied them up on the bars to his cell. It gave him some privacy. The following day he got rid of the metal bunk frame.

Alana had made sure to be around when night shifts were handed out during breakfast. Daryl was taking the first shift, then Axel, then Michonne. Axel was on the second level with them, but two cells away from Daryl's. Alana waited until the first shift was almost over before leaving her cell. She carried her pillow with her, hugging it to her chest as she quietly went inside and lowered herself on to the mattress. Daryl had doubled the two of them and thrown a mattress sheet over them. She laid with her head in the furthest corner from the entrance; she did her best to hide under the covers just in case someone else came by and peeked in.

The slight echo of Daryl's feet could be heard as he climbed the stairs and stopped at Axel's cell. Alana could hear them whispering and the footsteps began again. When she saw that it was Daryl she pulled the covers down so that he could see she was there.

He had been hesitant coming back inside, unsure if he'd come into his cell and see her there waiting. He hadn't been given the chance during the past two days to tell her anything; that he did want her to be there.

Daryl hadn't exactly planned on what he'd do if she did indeed show up.

He came and sat down next to the mattresses, removing his boots and the jacket he was wearing. He saw the small smirk from Alana when once again he actually had a shirt on with the sleeves still attached.

"How's your knee?" he asked her quietly.

"Better," she told him, sitting up.

The mattress was just a bit wider than the cot he had been using back on the farm; Daryl eyed it for a moment. He was thinking getting rid of the metal frame was a bad idea. They'd be too comfortable and he knew he wouldn't want her to leave. She may not want to leave.

But then Alana pushed the covers down and scooted over towards the wall. It didn't take Daryl but a moment to lower himself onto his back. Alana grabbed the covers and brought them back up as she laid on her side, right hand instinctively grabbing at the bottom of Daryl's shirt. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed her against him. After a few minutes he began drawing circles on her back under the blankets. He kept waiting for her to fall asleep but she didn't, so the two of them laid there in silence.

"Still don't want ya going back out there," he said at a later point.

He could feel as she quietly chuckled.

"I'm the best for the job. If you're so worried about me then come with me."

Daryl scoffed. He already planned on it.

"Could always kick ya leg. By accident," Daryl thought aloud.

Alana quickly pinched at his hip and Daryl jerked up, pushing her hand away, slapping it. She poked at his stomach, pushing herself against the wall to get away from his retaliation. It was obvious her leg was much better with the speed she squirmed away. She held a finger up at him warningly, moving it slightly in the air towards him. He just slapped it away.

Both paused when they heard Axel coming back inside and waking Michonne up. Alana slowly pulled the covers up with a low snicker as she covered her head up. For a moment, they both felt like they were back at the farm. Back to how they used to be. Daryl laid his head back on the pillow, peering through the space between the sheets on the bars. They could hear as Axel got back into his cell, the sound of his boots hitting the floor.

The two of them remained quiet for a while and Daryl could tell Alana was falling asleep. She had relaxed back into him and her breathing had evened out. There were still maybe three hours before the shift ended, but Daryl knew it wouldn't be wise for her to stay any longer. He himself was beginning to doze off. He shook her shoulder and Alana pulled herself closer, gripping at his shirt as she tried to burrow her head into the hollow of his shoulder.

Another shake and she raised her head a bit and then lowered it back down.

"Ya gotta get up," he said. "Gonna be tired all day."

"Don't care," she mumbled back against his skin. He shivered at the cool air that escaped her mouth.

Daryl pulled himself out from underneath her and Alana allowed herself to plop down fully onto the mattress, peeking up from under the covers.

"Get the hell up," he muttered, pulling the covers from her fingers. Alana looked up at him with a calm face.

"I forgot how to use my limbs." Annoyance began to show from Daryl. "One more hour."

"Ya ain't nothing but a feather," he said, leaning over to stick an arm under her and pull her up.

Begrudgingly Alana sat up and scooted off of the mattress. Daryl helped her to stand, picking up her pillow and handing it over. Alana stood behind him as he walked up to the cell bars and looked out between the sheets. He held the one sheet back and Alana walked out. Another glance, then Daryl followed after her. In her cell, Alana put the pillow back in place and pulled the covers back. Daryl's shirt was crumpled up underneath them. Standing there, he knew she didn't need any help getting into her own bed, but also was willing to use any excuse to remain there just a bit longer.

Looking at the brace on her knee he asked, "Ya gonna tell Rick you're ready to head out?"

It was the middle of the week. Thursday would make it a full week since checking the roads. Alana had admittedly become comfortable, not having to do anything. And she wanted a few more days, she thought, as she looked up at Daryl.

She told him she would wait till Saturday and though the tension didn't fully leave Daryl's shoulders Alana could see some relief.

He watched as she burrowed under the covers, lying on her side. He wasn't sure why he was still standing there or why he came forward and sat on the edge of the bed. Daryl looked down at Alana, ready to tell her to get some sleep, but he stopped. Her eyelids were already heavily shut and her entire body had become lax. Keeping her up like this during the night was finally catching up with her. Daryl carefully stood back up, ready to walk away.

And then like a fool, he thought afterwards, he leaned over her and quickly kissed her lips before going back to his cell.

He had to find a way to see her the next day.

**Let's all take a moment to applaud Daryl for his first proper kiss. Okay, so yeah she wasn't even awake, but let's be nice and let him have it anyways (: Daryl's nickname should be Baby Steps. **

**What little stunt do you all think Daryl will pull to get a chance alone with Alana? **


	50. Chapter 50

**New chapter!**

**Guest: Yeah! Screw Carol and her crazy ways!**

**Momorocks101ful: Yup, I always get bummed out when I start reading a new story and freaking 10 chapters in they're kissing already. **

**1111: Baby Steps Dixon! Haha 1000 chapters? Well, I'm halfway to 100, so I'll see what I can do (: **

**SaraLostInes: He's more scaredy cat than a real cat! **

**Emberka-2012: Yup, Daryl is totally afraid of admitting something to the group, guy has no idea what to do in a relationship. **

**Mrskaz453: You're spot on with your review! You do it everytime! It's like you're in my head! **

**Toolazytologin: Haha you've got an addiction, and the only cure is…more Daryl!**

**LadyLecter47: Squee moments are the best!**

**Nekuranekomegami: Thanks! **

**Bebe Flow: Yup, very slow progress (: **

**Leyshla Gisel: I agree, eventually just meeting during the night isn't going to be enough for Daryl. He's gonna have to up his game soon (: **

**Emmalime: Squeeee!**

**CallingTheMaker: Thanks! I love that! Woe bitch, roll back! Haha. And you're right, Michonne's that quiet person that stands back and watches everyone. If anyone is suspicious of Alana and Daryl, it's her. But since her and Alana are cool, I bet Michonne won't say anything about it. **

**Manatakira: I don't even know what Carol's up to! But yeah, she's gotta be planning something. That or she's just very smug, thinking that Daryl doesn't care about Alana. Ha! So wrong! **

**And now! On to the chapter! **

**Enjoy guys! **

Thursday afternoon Alana could see Daryl had some sort of itch about him. Every time she saw him she could see his eyes casually darting around, watching everyone. She had spent the morning inside the greenhouse with Hershel, going over what exactly they'd be looking for at these stables he knew of. Having already spoken with Rick it was agreed that the group would go out on Saturday; those going would be decided during supper. Back in the greenhouse, the doors had been kept open and Alana swore she must have seen Daryl pass by outside at least five times, having once come in just to wander down the rows and gripe at Hershel about nothing being ready yet.

It was the closest he had come to being alone with her the entire day.

In the evening when everyone was in the cafeteria Rick announced that the group would be heading out for the supply run.

"Now Alana's going to lead the group, but we're going to need four people to go with her," he said, standing at one of the tables.

"I'm going," Maggie said, raising a hand as she came out from the kitchens. Right behind her, Glenn volunteered as well. Someone who knew the area needed to be in the group and because Hershel had gone on the run to the farmhouse, Maggie argued that she needed to go on this one. It was a tough argument, but her father relented when Glenn said he would go with her.

"What exactly we gonna run out there for?" Daryl asked, already in his seat and stabbing at the food on his plate.

"Horses are gonna be needing feed and such," Hershel said, addressing the entire group. "There's a stable, not too far away. Should be able to find everything we need there." He quickly listed off various things they'd be looking for.

"And," Rick added, "while the group's out, they'll be checking the roads. We need to know what's surrounding us. How many cleared roads lead back to here."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, agreeing to go. "Tired being stuck in here."

There was a hum of silence before Axel cleared his throat.

"Suppose I'll tag along too."

Rick nodded his head. He looked to Alana who showed her agreement with the group.

"We'll talk and sort everything out tomorrow," Rick said. "No one in the group takes any night shifts. You'll all need to be well rested. Plenty of work cut out for you guys."

During the night Daryl made it to Alana's cell before she could sneak over to his. He didn't give her a chance to speak. He told her to stay in her cell. To sleep. She could still see the itch in him. The reality was that everyone had an itch to them. Having to remain inside the prison. They all wanted some sort of change, a stimulus. But Daryl's twitch was different. Alana believed she knew what part of it was; she felt it as well. There was no chance during the day for them to see each other, away from everyone else. The other half for Daryl must have been the fact that Alana was going back outside the prison. She knew that the moment he heard of it that he would be going with her, but by the way he stood there in her cell, it wasn't enough for him.

Daryl leaned down quickly over her and kissed her cheek, his lips barely making contact, and then went back to his cell.

The day of planning the trip appeared to be no easier on him. That irritation could be seen coursing through him. It was always there, whenever he was confronted with something alien, something he did not know how to handle. Instinct told him to lash out, to vent his frustration. But he couldn't let himself do that now; it was bad enough that the others in the group were still staring at him with that look in their eyes. Some sort of pity or wonder. Everyone knew that Alana had gotten under his skin; it had become fully evident that night they left the farm. That day in the gym. And then when Alana came back alive…nothing. He did nothing. And Alana did nothing. As far as everyone was concerned, the two of them had gone their separate ways. Now, the group was constantly shifting, trying to find a way to adjust and accommodate the two of them.

Friday after breakfast was the longest they spent in close quarters during daytime. Rick had called the group together in the library, wanting to keep everything quiet. Hershel had been brought along as well. The group had pushed together two tables and Alana had laid her map out on it along with one that had been found in the prison. Hershel looked over the prison map, putting on his glasses.

"Here," he said, pointing at a spot west of the prison. "About thirty miles out."

"Ya call that close?" Daryl asked with a scoff. "There ain't no closer places?"

Hershel shrugged his shoulders. "None that I know of." There were bound to be other farms in the area, but no one knew if any would have what they needed. Or if they were safe in the first place to go to.

Sliding down into a chair Daryl shook his head. "Can't believe we're gonna risk our necks for some stupid horses." He chewed at his nails. He had intentionally come round to the opposite side of the tables from Alana.

"Those horses are going to help plant the crops," Maggie said, defending the horses she watched grow up. "And they'll save us from having to rely on the cars."

"We need to know what's out there. _Who's_ out there," said Rick. "If you can find what you need somewhere closer, then do it. If you can't make it to the stables, you turn around and come back." He looked down at the prison's map and pointed out the clearest path. "Now this looks to be the best route for you all to take. Did you and Wilhelm come this way?" he asked to Alana.

She pulled her map over, matching up the route. "We crossed over this highway, right about here." The spot was on the other side of the stateline and south to where they were now. "One side of the highway was blocked." Alana sighed. "We're going in blind. No telling what we could run into." She drew a finger along the route. "It's nowhere near a straight path."

"You've driven further than anyone else," Glenn spoke up. "I mean we—we almost took a straight shot here from Atlanta. So you've seen more than us. Is it worth it? Roads can't be all blocked, can they?"

Alana stared over the maps. If they were going as the entire group, then yes. It'd be worth it. But just five of them? "It's never the same. Sometimes the highway is a deadend. Sometimes the backroads are. All just depends on what road you turn onto." The others began to voice their concerns. Axel caught everyone's attention when he began tapping on the map.

"How bout a fancy country club? Used to work at one, remember them having some horses there." He pulled the map over to his side of the table, holding it up. "There, Oldtown Country Club." As he put the map back down the others crowded round it.

"And you didn't mention this before because?" Rick asked.

"You didn't ask? Hell, I just thought we were going out for a stroll, not some…expedition."

"How big is it?" Alana asked.

Axel shrugged his shoulders. "Big. Pretty empty though. Nice golf course, couple buildings." Alana began tracing out a route on the map. It was about 15 miles from the prison. There was a main road that went right past the country club and there looked to be a small access road that led into it. Even if they didn't take that main road, it'd only take 3 backroads to reach the spot. "And on the other side of that little road right there is a farm. Don't recall them ever growing crops. Do recall seeing those bales of hay though."

"Are there any housing developments nearby?" Alana asked Axel. He had quickly become the focus of the group and the man seemed unfazed by it, relaxing back in his chair.

Axel shook his head. "Then again, that was…oh, ten years ago."

Alana looked over to Hershel and asked if he was familiar with the place. "Off of Concord. Covers a nice chunk of land."

"Not many trees there either," Maggie added, leaning onto the table. "Clear view all around. We'll have to drive down a bit." Axel agreed, saying that the place was down a ways from the main road.

"You remember where these stables are?" Alana asked Axel. He pointed to a small lake at the back of the land; said the stables were just in front of it. He then showed them were the farm was. Alana looked to Rick. "This is our best bet. I'd rather take us there."

"You think there might be people holed up there?" he asked her.

"It's possible, but it's a lesser risk than heading thirty miles out. If we were all going? Then I would say we could do it. Just the five of us though, no. I'm more comfortable taking us out fifteen miles. If there are people there, we keep driving. We take this road here, Reidsboro, stop at the cross-section and wait to make sure no one follows us. Head up here on Carmel and follow it back down to here."

"And if anyone follows you back?" Hershel asked Alana. He didn't look over to Maggie, but Alana knew that was why he asked.

"She'll take care of it," Rick told him.

Rick continued to speak, saying that everyone was to follow Alana's orders. That she was in charge starting from that very moment. He told her to go through their weapon supplies and take what she needed. He told the others to pack a bag each, toss a bit of everything in them, just as he had done with Alana and T-Dog.

"Gotta make those cars look like you live in them," he told the group.

Alana took over after that point, asking Maggie and Hershel to list just what exactly they'd be looking for, wanting to make sure they'd find everything they needed as quickly as possible. She told them to plan on spending the night out on the road as a precaution.

Daryl sat there the whole time, quiet as could be, half listening. It wasn't that he didn't care to take orders from a woman, let alone Alana. He just still wasn't happy that she was going out there. The complications had already begun. He might be going with the group, but that didn't mean he'd be able to stick to her side constantly. Daryl wasn't giving himself that choice. He wouldn't have been able to stick by her side even if he wanted to; because Maggie knew what they needed she was Alana's right hand. And because Axel knew the layout he was her left hand. That left no space for Daryl at her side.

And he hated it.

Hated that he had nothing that she needed him for other than scavenging for supplies.

When the group was done discussing their plans the maps were folded back up and everyone headed out of the library. While they began packing Alana gathered up the weapons they'd be taking. Far as cars were concerned, they'd be taking the truck with trailer hitched up and Shane's small SUV. Alana couldn't look at it and just see a car. She still saw it as Shane's. Just because he was gone didn't mean it was no longer his.

Alana began tearing Shane's car up, throwing trash inside, rubbing dirt on the seats. She took a knife and scratched up one side. Spots were torn out and slits made in the seats for weapons. Alana held off on hiding them, wanting the group present to see where everything would be placed. She headed back inside the prison to her cell and began packing her bag. There wasn't much to pack; the one she had taken with Rick and T-Dog had barely been touched, so she just added a few things to it. Alana then sorted through her own collection of weapons, picking out what she would take.

She bit at her lip as a thought arose. Seeing little reason to not go through with it, Alana left her cell and headed down the row to Maggie and Glenn's.

"What weapons are you carrying on you?" she asked them. She did the same with Axel. It was a legit question with legit concern behind it. It was important to know that everyone had some sort of silent weapon, with guns being a backup. Alana's own collection of firearms had their silencers, but she didn't want to go out handing them to the group. Ammo for them was less than the ammo they had for the prison's firearms.

Maggie, Glenn, and Axel each had their weapons of choice, all of which were silent. There were handguns for backup and Alana planned to take a few of her own as a third wave backup.

Though Carol wasn't in her cell, Alana still called out to Daryl from outside his cell, asking what he was taking with him as she pulled the sheet back to walk inside. She planted her feet on the ground, eyeing the cell's entrance every other moment.

When Daryl had heard her down at Maggie and Glenn's cell he knew what she was doing. He went along, pointing out the crossbow. He had a couple handguns in his cell and figured he'd take them as well.

Alana looked over to the sheets that hid them. "I'm going to bring an extra rifle. Anything happens I'll want you up there with me." It had been decided that while the four of them were loading supplies Alana would be keeping watch up on top one of the cars.

Daryl nodded his head, scratching at his nape.

Alana saw the itch in his feet as he jerked just the slightest bit, as if he wanted to take a step closer to her. She lowered her voice and asked, "Tonight?" Daryl nodded. "Be sure to bring your pack down," Alana added as she walked out from his cell, letting the sheet fall back into place. She headed inside her cell to grab her things and take them to the cars. She passed Carol along the way. The woman showed her indifference.

For the remainder of the day Alana did what she could to keep herself fairly busy, not allowing herself to have too long a moment of freetime. The cars were loaded and ready to go for the next day. Everyone knew their jobs for the run. Everyone knew exactly where they would be. Alana would be leading the group in Shane's car. Axel would be riding with her. Daryl would be with them too; it had worked out for him that Maggie _and _Glenn were going. Both cars would be packed with as much as possible, but with enough space left for two more people in Shane's car. If something happened and the trailer had to be abandoned, it would take too long to detach it from the truck, and so Maggie and Glenn would have to jump into the car.

Though Daryl could never admit it, he was in a way awed by just how thoroughly Alana planned things out.

She must have learned it from Wilhelm.

That or it was just part of being German. Meticulous planning.

No one talked of the supply run during dinner, everyone doing their best to act as if the next day would just be another day in the week. Afterwards Rick headed up to Alana's cell and handed her a walkie.

He had originally not paid them any attention when they got to the prison, but after taking a look over them saw that they were the same ones he had used as an officer. "Pretty old," he told Alana. "Unless you've got this same model, no one else is gonna be able to pick up your chatter." The two of them agreed that Rick would keep his on while Alana would only turn hers on to let them know when they arrived and were leaving the country club. And if they ran into any trouble.

As everyone headed to bed, Alana laid in her bed patiently. Two hours into the first watch and she got up.

Daryl sat in the corner of the bed against the wall, still fully dressed aside from his boots. When Alana slipped in through the sheets he watched her crouch down and sit on the bed with him. She leaned against the wall, knees up against her chest. Daryl looked at her knee, the brace gone. She hadn't worn it to dinner and Dale had been quick to ask if she intended to go out the next day without it. She reassured him that she didn't, that she just wanted to walk a bit without out it.

Alana tried to read Daryl's face, but with the sheets covering the bars it was nearly pitch black in the cell. The lantern wasn't turn on; instead he had a small hand flashlight, a dull glow being swallowed up by the floor.

There was no need for Alana to ask Daryl if he was okay, if there was something wrong.

He still didn't want her to go. Yet if she stayed behind, then he wanted to stay behind as well. Wherever she was, that was where he wanted to be. To protect her. To keep her at his side. That was the best place for her—the only place for her. But she had been at his side when the walkers swarmed that house and he had to leave her behind up in the bedroom.

The harsh truth had set in. There was nothing he could do. There was always a possibility for something to happen. If she went out while he stayed at the prison, something could happen. If she stayed behind at the prison while he went out, something could happen.

Nowhere was safe.

Daryl was brought out from his head when Alana nudged his leg. She began scooting off of the mattress and tried to pull the sheets out from under him. He moved off of them and stood while Alana pushed the sheets down, grabbing the pillows he had tossed on the floor. She pointed down at the mattress, urging him to lie down. He eyed her for a moment before doing so. His muscles locked up underneath her as she lied down next to him. She grabbed the sheets and blankets, pulling them up. Turning towards him, Alana rested half of her body atop of him and Daryl instinctively brought one arm down to wrap around her back. Looking down his nose he could see that her head was the only thing popping out from the covers.

Alana could feel from the tension in his body that Daryl wasn't even trying to fall asleep. She whispered to him, reminding him that she was waking the group up at 5AM; that it was okay for him to fall asleep with her still in his cell.

"I'll poke you again if you don't sleep," she warned, feeling his chest rise with a scoff.

"Kick ya outta my bed." He shifted a bit under her, trying to move closer to the wall. Alana grabbed onto the bottom of his shirt and did her best to move along with him. He couldn't see how using him instead of the mattress was more comfortable.

He fell into the rhythm of running his fingertips over her back, slowing as he eventually began to nod off. Every few hours he would wake fully, turning to look at his clock, watching as the morning came closer and closer. Alana hadn't woken up once. She would move slightly every now and then, shifting her head a bit, clinching and releasing her grasp on his shirt. He woke with a small startle when he suddenly felt her hand pushing the bottom of his shirt up and her hand came to rest on his side. But without hesitation he calmed at the warmth her skin brought to his.

The next time he awoke was at the muffled sound of her alarm going off. As he tried to move he felt warmth under his own hand. He must have pushed her shirt up some time during his sleep, his hand resting on her lower back. Alana began to come to and he waited for her to feel his hand there. Waited for her to become angry with him.

But she didn't.

Alana slid her hand away from his skin, fumbling under the sheets to silence the alarm. She rubbed at her eyes and stretched herself out, pushing herself against him. Daryl took the moment as he back moved away from his hand to drop it to the side of the mattress. Alana pushed herself up a bit and then stopped. She looked over her shoulder to the cell's entrance.

No movement outside.

Daryl watched as she got up and crept out of his cell, going into hers to grab her toiletry bag. When she came back and peeked her head inside she had her leg brace back on. He could see her beckoning him to follow after her. As quietly as possible the two passed the other cells and headed to the restrooms. The two then began walking back to the cells to wake the others. Alana slowed as they went past the offices, stopping at one and opening the door. She reached out for Daryl's hand and pulled him in, closing the door behind them and shutting the blinds nearly all the way.

Without warning she wrapped her arms around him, pushing herself up on her tiptoes. Daryl hesitated and then realized the reason behind her actions. Once out on the road there would be no alone time. And there would no time if they spent the night on the road.

And truth be told, they both needed this moment alone.

She rested her head on his chest and then took a step back, turning to the door.

The itch started to set into them both again; Daryl could see how as she slipped away from him the starkness in her shoulders returned. The fakeness. He took a quick step behind her, pushing against the door.

It couldn't be that difficult; he'd seen Glenn and Maggie a few times. Just had to be quick about it.

With all shadows in the room Daryl was grateful. He had no guess at the look on Alana's face as he stood over her, his free hand on her cheek, holding her in place. She didn't try to move away as he tilted her face up and kissed her. He meant to pull away quickly then, to open the door and end it. He started to back away, but felt her holding onto the bottom of his shirt, holding him in place. He had let his hand slip from her face.

"Stay where I can see you," she said. Daryl nodded. Licking her lips, Alana tightened her grasp on his shirt and pulled herself up to kiss him quickly.

The light from the hallway flooded in as she turned away and walked out, back to the cells.

Daryl followed a few seconds later. They parted once arriving back at the cells; he went to the cafeteria while she went to wake the others. She woke Michonne and Andrea, then Rick. Upstairs, she woke Maggie and Glenn and Axel. The noise of those waking grew and the entire group was soon awake, slowly making their way into the cafeteria. In there, T-Dog shooed everyone away from the kitchens; he intended to make a large breakfast for those heading out. The group mulled around, snacking on small cereal boxes while T-Dog prepared pancakes, eggs, and canned ham. Carol and Lori helped; Lori only grabbed the needed ingredients and then sat back down, not feeling too well. Carl asked to flip the pancakes.

With the extra hands, T-Dog had the food ready in a quick manner. They all sat down and ate; those going out where given more than the others.

Alana looked up from her nearly empty plate, seeing that Rick was also done. He nodded at her. The two of them stood, looking to the others set to head out. Dropping their plates in the kitchen the others filed in behind Alana and Rick, heading to the cells to grab what was left to be packed before going outside. At the cars, Alana showed the others where the extra firearms and weapons would be stashed, hidden inside the cars. She then pulled out her map, laying it on the hood of Shane's car. She made sure that everyone knew which roads to take if they couldn't head back the same way or were separated.

The rest of the group came out to see them off. Dale came down from the guard tower, once again holding his arms out to embrace Alana. Daryl stiffened for a moment, thinking the old man was going to try and hug him, Dale only stood back and nodded his head to him.

"Watch each other's backs out there," Rick said while the two groups parted. He pulled the walkie from his back pocket, turning it on and doing another check, making sure it worked. Alana did the same.

Tossing the last of their gear into the cars the gates were opened and the others watched as they drove through. Daryl sat in the back of Shane's car while Axel sat up front with Alana, tapping his fingers on the door and nodding his head to an unheard song.

Axel, Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie quickly became accustomed to the way Alana worked. She would stop the cars or at least slow down to a crawl whenever a walker was spotted on the road. It was the same method as when she had gone out with Rick and T-Dog. They didn't need a group of walkers piling up behind them, waiting for them to come back down the road later. And at any sharp bend or rise in the road Alana would stop the cars completely, getting out and walking a short ways to make sure there was nothing waiting on the other side for them. It flustered Daryl that when she left the car, she took Axel with her instead of him. He saw and understood the logic behind it—it was easier for Daryl to get to the driver's side than it was for Axel if something happened—but he was still bothered by it.

And it didn't help that he was still unsettled over their kiss. His mind was reeling from it, not believing that she had even kissed him back. When she had, the self-doubts flooded him. As they always did when it came to Alana. He once again questioned things, questioned the _us._

He did his best to push the thoughts away.

There was a sharp turn in the road and then it became straight. To their right was a large field. A small farmhouse could just be seen at the back. Alana stopped the cars, grabbing the binoculars and walking out to the edge of the road. Axel followed behind her. Daryl stood by the driver's door, crossbow ready. Alana then turned around and headed back to the car, shaking her head.

"Empty," she said. "Let's keep moving."

The cars drove through a patch of woods before coming out into another field. Up ahead Alana could see three houses right off the road.

The cars came to a sudden stop.

Axel made a _hmph _noise. "Don't remember those being there."

As everyone exited the cars Alana took to the binoculars again. "One car at the second house, two at the third," she said and then looked to Axel, holding the binoculars to him. "Is that the road there?"

Spotting the road he nodded. "There's a main entrance further on, but this way workers used to head down. Didn't want us scaring the little southern ladies."

"We'll clear the houses out then head down." Alana turned to Daryl. "Take Glenn and Axel, clear the houses."

The three men grabbed weapons and began heading down the road, Alana and Maggie in the cars close behind them. Alana the rifle across her lap, hands gripping tightly at the steering wheel. She rolled the window down, straining to hear anything. Maggie's form in the rearview mirror shrunk as the men came out from the first house. Glenn gave a rather enthusiastic thumbs up as Daryl looked back and shook his head. Daryl pointed to the next house and the women drove the cars a further bit down the road.

He had to keep pulling Glenn and Axel out from the houses; both kept seeing things they wanted to grab and take back. "We'll get that shit later," he kept telling them.

Alana began to fill with anxiety when the group took longer at the last house. She was ready to get out of the car and go in there after them. As she grabbed her rifle the front door swung open and Daryl came walking out, Axel and Glenn behind him.

"Any problems?" Alana asked as the three of them reached the cars.

"Whole lot of them opted out," Daryl said as he got into the backseat.

"Coulda done us a favor and not be so messy about it," Axel added, looking down at his shoes. Alana could see the grime he had tracked into the car. "Left plenty of stuff behind though. We should grab it all before we leave."

"If we have the time," Alana told him.

The last house was right after the turn for the backroad that led to the country club. Alana had been staring down it through the binoculars. Everything looked clear. The truck followed slowly behind her as she crept down the gravel road. Last thing they needed was to kick up dust, screaming out where they were to anyone or anything nearby. They passed a dark wooden sign that said _Oldtown Country Club_. Right underneath the fancy lettering it said in plain block letters _Employee Entrance_. Far off to their right Alana could see what she thought to be the main building. They drove past the entire golf course, with its overgrown and browning grass; the sand pits had patches of weeds jutting out of them. Scattered all over the place were random reminders of just how quickly things had changed. Toppled over golf carts, abandoned clubs strewn across the grass, the remains of those who weren't fast enough to get away.

"Walker," Daryl called out, tapping on the back of Alana's seat. She came to a stop and looked around. He pointed out towards the golf course.

It must have been lingering in one of the sand pits; clawing its way out at the noise of the cars. Axel chuckled as it made its way to them, gnashing its jaw. The walker had been an aged white man. He had been wearing crisp beige pants with a light green sweater vest. Now that the elements and death had taken their toll, he looked even more ridiculous. He had been bitten multiple times; perhaps twice on the upper body and once on the leg. His left ankle looked to be completely snapped; he dragged along on it, constantly shaking as his balance came and go. He fell twice, but at the sight of the group somehow found a way to stand back up. Daryl started to get out of the car, but Glenn came up from the truck.

The bat met its head with a thickened _crack_. Daryl followed behind him, shoving a knife into the walker's skull for good measure. The two men stood there afterwards, looking round, trying to find any other movement. Both looked over to Alana who was doing the same, peering through the binoculars.

When no other movement was seen, Daryl and Glenn got back into the cars.

They next stopped just in front of the stables.

Alana cut the power to the engine and leaned back in the seat. Her eyes scanned over the area. The lake was spotted behind the stables. The group sat in the cars for a moment, waiting to see if anything came out looking for them.

Alana reached for the walkie.

"Rick. We're here."

WDWDWDWD

The afternoon had rolled in. Andrea sat up in the guard tower with Carl at her side. She had told him to keep an eye out on the road while she kept an eye looking out to the west. Down below Rick waved to get her attention, holding the walkie up.

Alana and the others had made it to the country club.

Rick made the rounds, letting everyone know.

Lori had been in their cell when he told her. She was gathering up their dirty clothing to wash. She had begun to feel better since taking the aspirin Alana gave her. The migraines had been reduced to dull headaches She was still feeling a bit under the weather in the mornings; she'd been through it before with Carl. The morning sickness began early, but ended some three or so months in. Lori figured she only had two more months of it then.

Carol met her outside the cells, carrying her own bundle of clothing.

"You don't have to help," she told Lori, "I'll take care of it."

"No, no. I don't mind. I've been cooped up there too long, starting to go crazy," Lori joked.

The two women began going into the other cells and grabbing the piles of clothes the group had set aside. Without thinking of it, Lori was climbing up the stairs. As she was coming out from Maggie and Glenn's cell Carol came up the stairs, fussing at her.

"Honey you shouldn't be going up and down these things." Lori tried to reassure her that she was okay. She hadn't even begun to show yet. Lori watched as Carol went on to Axel's cell before her eyes wandered over towards Alana's.

With a glance to Carol inside Axel's cell, Lori made her way down the row. Alana's clothes were strewn across the place and it took Lori a moment of looking around to determine what clothes to grab. She was flipping through the bed sheets when a plaid print caught her attention. Her brow scrunched as she picked up the long sleeve shirt.

"Lori?" Carol called out as she exited Daryl's cell, a few of his clothing added to her pile.

In haste Lori dropped the shirt and pulled the sheets over it.

"Yes. I'm in here." Carol appeared outside the cell. "Ready?" Lori gave a lopsided smile. "Just trying to figure out which ones need washing."

They used large pots from the kitchens to wash the clothes in. Previously they washed them outside, but with the weather becoming even colder, they sat inside the prison in the hallway. They could still see outside the doors. The two kept quiet for the most part, making small chatter here and there.

Carol chuckled quietly as she held up a shirt. "Don't know how he manages to get these so dirty. Even now that we're in here." Lori looked over and saw that she was holding one of Daryl's shirts. She gave a small smile.

"Boys will be boys," she said. "Hopefully they'll be back today," she added after a while.

Carol agreed. But then added, "Do you really think Rick should be sending Alana out there like that? Leading all the groups?"

"What do you mean?" Lori watched as Carol shrugged her shoulders, grabbing another of Daryl's shirts. It reminded Lori of the one that was in Alana's cell.

The concern was there in Carol's voice, but it wasn't for Alana. "Well, she's not fully better, is she? And he wants to send her out there with every group." She laughed a bit. "Everyone has a off day. God forbid anything happens to the group."

Lori tried to shake off the conversation. "Rick wouldn't send her out there with others if he didn't think she could handle it. Besides, she's good at things like this." She looked up and smiled as Carl walked past, heading to the cafeteria. "We all have a part in this group. She's just doing hers."

Rick walked by then, on the trail of Carl. "Alana radioed again. Said there's some houses they're going to grab supplies from before heading back."

"They're done at the country club already?" Lori asked.

He shook his head. "Making good time though. Might be able to get back here today." He held the walkie up. "Going to radio again once they move on to the houses."

When he was gone from the hallway Lori looked over to Carol. "See? Nothing to worry about."

"I suppose," Carol responded with nonchalance. When she saw the questioning look Lori was giving her she smiled and shook her head. "I'd just be more comfortable if Rick had put Daryl in charge. The group did well last time with him leading it. Don't understand why he's all of a sudden turning to Alana to help him out."

Carol left it at that and Lori said nothing more.

Lori wanted to be angry…but the image of that shirt in Alana's cell…

There was nothing for _her_ to be angry about.

Carol though…

But perhaps it was nothing.

Likely it was something.

Whatever it was, Lori would have nothing to do with it. She'd forget what she saw.

When the clothes were ready to be hung up to dry the two women took down the other clothes, putting them separate piles. Lori was walking to Michonne's cell to drop her pile off. The woman was in there. She eyed the bottom of Lori's bundle.

"Those Alana's?" she asked. Lori said they were. "I'll take them," Michonne told her as she stood and reached out for the clothes.

Michonne headed up the stairs, following behind Carol at a slow pace. She set the clean clothes on the top bunk and walked out. With a slow glance into Daryl's cell she saw Carol, bent down, making up the bed. Coming down the stairs, she caught Lori's gaze.

"Getting cold out there," Michonne commented once down the stairs.

"Yeah…it is." Both women watched as Carol came out from Daryl's cell.

WDWDWDWD

The stables had been empty. Aside from the dried up carcasses of a few horses. The cars had been driven up to the far end of the stables, giving Alana a clear view nearly all the way around. If any walkers did show up, she'd see them right away. She stood on the roof of the truck (it was easier for her to get down from it) with rifle in hand, machete at her side, two handguns tucked away, and a spare rifle at her feet. The binoculars hung round her neck.

Supplies for the horses and anything that looked like it could be used as a weapon were tossed into the bed of the truck. Axel and Glenn dragged out large rubber mats that had been placed in the stalls. Maggie said something about them helping to ease the pain on the horses' feet. There were large sacks of horse feed stacked up in one of the stalls and the men quickly formed up a line. Daryl was the one dumping the sacks into the truck; he did his best to not look up at Alana every time as he crossed under her shadow.

The loading was almost done and Maggie, who had been going through the equipment still in the stables, came out and was asking about checking out the barn behind them. With that farm across the road it might be that they could get lucky and find hay in the barn. Alana stole a glance over towards it. Doors looked to be closed up. She gave a nod. Hopefully luck would be on their side and there wouldn't walkers in there waiting for them.

Maggie headed back inside the stables to make sure they hadn't missed anything. Daryl was carrying the second to last sack of feed to the truck.

The shadow covering him shifted and Daryl looked up.

Alana was crouching on the roof of the truck, a hand held out, gripping the second rifle.

Without looking back, Daryl climbed into the bed of the truck, taking the rifle from Alana. Turning around he saw that she had already grabbed the attention of the others.

He followed the aim of Alana's rifle.

Walkers hadn't been in the barn.

They were behind it.

Not anymore though, not with the scent of the group in the air.

"Everyone stand back," Alana ordered the group. "We'll pick off as many as we can." Without her gaze leaving the scope she spoke to only Daryl then. "I'll take the left, you take the right."

Daryl sneered at her. "That little gun's gonna knock ya off your feet."

Before he could take aim at his first walker, Alana had already taken down three.

**And I leave you all with a cliffhanger! Wonder how many walkers there are. **

**And Carol….that woman is….crazy! **

**But let's not waste time on her! How about Daryl and Alana! Only took 50 chapters, but I have finally relented and gave you all what you've been waiting for. Their first proper kiss! Wonder how long it'll take Daryl to make the next move haha. What do you all think that next move should be? **

**Oh! And what about Lori! You think she has the chance to redeem herself from her bitchy ways? Think she'll confront Alana about finding Daryl's shirt in her cell? Or maybe she'll say nothing? **

**Next chapter will be up sometime next week (: **

**Be sure to leave your reviews, even if you're just a guest! Rule of thumb, lots of awesome reviews means I write faster! **


	51. Chapter 51

**And now the continuation of the story! **

**Rheila: Yeah I kept going back and forth between Lori or Michonne finding the shirt, but finally decided on Lori. Just makes things more interesting lol.**

**Mrskaz453: I know! I go crazy when I start reading a story and then Daryl all of a sudden turns into a different person. Lori situation shall be explained soon (: And long winded witches are awesome! In fact, I demand more! Haha**

**Like-A-Slasher-Film: Thanks so much! **

**Guest: Lori's thoughts on the whole thing will be explained soon (: **

**Emberka-2012: Yup, I think Lori is starting to get some sense and realizes she just needs to keep to herself. **

**Hazardous Hollz: Lol it's you! Yeah it's so funny to see Carol try to start crap and it not work haha. **

**LadyLecter47: Haha Carol herself is a major issue! **

**m0nalisat0ldalie88****: Thanks!**

**MyLovelyRAB: Oh sweater vest walker, we hardly knew thee. **

**SaraLostInes: Yeah I think Lori's gonna be watching out for things now. It's not like she has anything else to do, not knowing where Carl is is actually pretty easy to do haha.**

**OmgitsBlondie: Alana rocks! **

**Leyshla Gisel: Haha yeah it only took 50 chapters (: **

**Guest: Thanks! **

**Emmalime: I agree. I think Lori at least deserves a chance at redemption.**

**CallingTheMaker: Lol yeah, we wouldn't want to ruin the truck running her over with it. And yes, if Lori is smart, she'll keep her mouth shut about the shirt. **

**Velvetemr73: Yup, things would be so much easier if they just went public with their relationship and Carol went away lol**

**AngieInWonderland: Took forever, but yup they finally kissed! That's the way Baby Steps Daryl does it though lol. Next chapter though, it's going to start off very interestingly (: **

**Limaro: Lol I've turned you all into monsters! You addicts! And I love your frankness about Carol; bitch needs to find out and opt out lol. And Lori, yup, I could come to accept her as long as she plays this cool and doesn't go tattle to Carol. **

**JellyBear7: Thanks. I think that's the only way to write Daryl, it has to be slowly. If I can get this story to 100 chapters, I'll totally do it (: **

**Panda-SamaSoto: Gibbs! I LOVE ncis lol. I'm addicted to it. And yeah, that totally sums up Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn. Now if only we could get Ziva and Tony to hook up lol. **

**Manatakira: Yeah Carol needs to mind her own business and stop living in her own little world. That woman is crazy in the head. Totally lost her grip on reality. But of course the group is just going to let her continue with her ways, anything to keep the peace. Bleh. **

**Black leather: Thanks! It's great getting new readers (: **

A rule of thumb when the dead began walking was to never ask, "Where did those things come from?" All that mattered was that they had snuck up on you and you needed to kill them. Quickly. Alana couldn't care less where the walkers had come from; there could have been a slit in time behind the barn and the walkers were crawling out from it. Didn't matter to Alana. She just wanted them all dead.

Maggie, Axel, and Glenn had hurried over to the vehicles, weapons in hand. There must have been some twenty walkers stumbling towards them, but the number was constantly dropping as a muted _pop_ filled the air.

They were a strange grouping. The walkers. Must have been those who were caught at the country club when things began. That or they were silly enough to think coming there would keep them safe. It was a shambled collection of dirtied pastels. There was a morbid humor in it all, watching as these former people of high society came forward. There was a woman who wore the remnants of a tattered Sunday hat; a chunk had been torn out and the rest was crusted in dried blood from where some other poor soul had taken a bite.

Alana gave the order and the group began moving towards the walkers. As they moved she shouldered the rifle and came down from the truck, machete in hand. She turned round to Daryl who still stood in the bed of the truck. "With me," she said and kept moving. She walked widely round the others and the walkers that still remained.

A normal bullet to the head from a sniper rifle didn't cause much damage—other than the usual, death—but that was with a live person. These things, they weren't quite fresh. The dusty ground was clumping up with bits of dark gore. Patches of skin, lumps of hair over there, shards of skull. Remnants of a Sunday hat. A bit more blood on it now. Looked like they were making a giant batch of fresh pasta, the way the blood mixed with the ground. The dirt was getting kicked up into clumps and slowly forming up into this thick sludge.

Alana looked once over her shoulder to Daryl as she walked past the stables. Her sights were set on the barn. Maggie and Axel stayed behind as Glenn hurried to catch up with them.

All those war movies, watching as the soldiers would creep about, all in formation, making their hand signals and such. One always either thought it was _cool_ or _corny_(it's been done so many times), but watching Alana, one realized just how terrifying it was. The seriousness in it all. Daryl wasn't the only one wondering how many people had fallen in her crosshairs.

The doors to the barn were locked with a large chain through them. Alana stood before them, looking at the hinges. It looked secured. She motioned for the others to keep following her. Glenn kept twisting the baseball bat in his hands as they came to the back of the barn. Daryl came forward, walking a bit away from the side of the barn. Alana remained just at the corner, machete ready.

A quick look round the corner and Daryl's shoulders loosened. The rigidity in his legs was gone. Alana and Glenn followed after him to look at the back of the barn.

"Where did they come from?" Glenn asked as the three of them looked around the empty space before them. The field was empty.

Alana kicked at the ground and began walking back. "Does it matter?" She pointed her machete at the barn. "It was a blindspot. They could have come cross that field, but with this here we never saw them. They're dead now. We're not. All that matters." Daryl and Glenn followed after her, coming to the front of the barn and staring at the chain on the door.

The three exchanged looks and Daryl kicked a leg out at the doors, chain rattling against wood. No noise came from inside. With the butt of the rifle Daryl broke the handle off one of the barn doors. The doors were slid back to reveal what could only be described as a mountain of hay bales. They were stacked up in rows, some of which nearly reached the top of the barn.

"Let's move the cars and start loading," said Alana. She pointed out to the clear area between the stables and barn; Axel and Maggie brought the cars over. Maggie reversed the truck, the entrance to the trailer in front of the barn doors, some 50 feet away.

"Don't you think we should move it closer?" Axel asked, staring at the distance.

"It's close enough," Alana told him. "Buildings are blindspots. Or would you prefer to do this again?" she asked, motioning to the dead walkers.

Alana nodded over at Maggie who then began telling them what to do. Glenn would be in the barn, kicking down the rectangular hay bales. Axel would carry them halfway to the to the trailer; Daryl would take them to the trailer. Maggie would be inside, stacking them up. Alana stood back on the roof of the truck.

With everyone in a constant motion, Daryl would look up to where Alana stood, rifle back in her grip, knowing no one would catch him looking at her. But as he dumped a bale of hay in the trailer her saw Maggie had been watching him. From a quick thought, he looked back up over to Alana.

"Ya getting off easy on the workload," he said brusquely. "And ya look like a damn bug with those things."

Alana looked down at him and could hear that Maggie was coming towards the back of trailer with the latest bale of hay. She could hear her laughing lightly. Alana had taken out the large sunglasses she had found with Wilhelm and put them on shortly after getting on the truck's roof. Daryl came walking back to the trailer with another bale.

"If you'd like me to come down there and help you I will. And then when some walkers decide to show up and munch on your head I'll be sure to lay some eggs in your head. Great White Hunter: 0. The Fly: 1." Alana smirked down at Daryl as he shook his head and walked away, muttering about _crazy Germans._ Maggie giggled down in the trailer. Daryl came back again and Alana, not missing a beat when she saw him swipe at some bug flying round his head, said, "_Buzz Buzz_."

From inside the trailer Maggie added, "Fly: 2."

Glenn could be heard from inside the barn asking what everyone was laughing at. Axel then passed the question along to Daryl, who in turn told them both to quiet their traps.

It took them just over an hour to load the trailer fully with hay. Everyone was weighted down with exhaustion. Even Alana, just from standing up on the hard roof with so little space to move about. But Glenn was still fairly energetic. He had enjoyed being able to kick the bales down.

Alana was looking back towards the front of the country club. They hadn't checked the main building yet. She asked Axel if there would be anything of use in it.

The older man mopped at his forehead with a rag from his back pocket. "There's a bar," he offered.

Alana scoffed. "We don't need beer."

"_You_ don't need any," countered Axel. "Nah, ain't really much there we could use I suppose."

Alana looked down at her watch. It was half till 1PM. "Alright. We'll take a breather, then head back to those houses and take whatever we can. Let's move the cars so we have a better view."

Maggie and Daryl moved the cars a bit down the dirt road and everyone sat in them, doors wide open. Glenn had brought a pack filled with food and drink. As everybody took their pick of items the contents slowly dwindled. Daryl sat in the back of Shane's car while Alana swung her legs out the driver's side. Using the seat as leverage she reached back to him and grabbed her pack from the floor. Daryl saw her take a bottle of medication out and pop two pills into her mouth.

"You gonna be sharing those goodies?" Axel asked with a mouthful of beef jerky.

Alana tossed the bottle back into her pack. "You in pain?"

"I'm an institutionalized man. My poor soul's in pain." Axel laughed at his own words.

"You think we can make it back to the prison today?" Glenn asked from the truck that was parked alongside Shane's car.

They had only the three houses to check. And because the men had already made sure there were no walkers roaming round in them, Alana figured it shouldn't take them too long to collect what was useful. The trying part would be loading everything. The truck bed was halfway full, trailer completely full. There was no room inside the truck. That left the very back of Shane's car for loading space. Alana asked the men what exactly they had seen in the houses. With them being right there on the road she thought the chances were high that others had come by and looted them. But Glenn said otherwise. Whoever had lived in one of the houses must have packed and left, but the place was still filled with items worth taking. The kitchen pantry was full. There were four bedrooms and each had closets and dressers. Alana was sure the group could do with a larger wardrobe selection. No one had really cared much to walk around wearing prison outfits. They had all taken pieces of clothing here and there; pair of jeans, undershirts, but there was there was an overall taboo about wearing the same clothes that inmates had worn. Aside from that, undergarments for the women were lacking to say the least.

Alana agreed that cleaning out the houses was worth it. They'd head back in and grab food and clothing. "And then we head back to the prison. We're easy targets out here."

WDWDWDWD

As they drove back down to the main road the group stopped once again. They checked the stretch of road. Alana didn't like the situation. If walkers or another car came there would be no time to hide. But Glenn had said the houses were nearly completely full, not being touched by looters yet. Alana could see how someone else passing by may think the area was ideal. Clean the houses out and shack up in the stables and barn. If they were smart enough to stay off of the main road. No, Alana thought, they needed to clean those houses out. They needed to make the area around the prison undesirable so that anyone else who may pass through would do just that. Pass through.

They began with the furthest house. Daryl had been making remarks in the car as Alana led them down the road to it, asking her how she enjoyed getting a tan while the rest of them broke a sweat. Said the he felt he might be coming down with a cold from all the sweating in the chilled air. In the front passenger seat Axel snickered.

Outside the first house, Alana slid out from the car. "Axel," she said, "keep watch. I have to make sure little Daryl here doesn't pass out from lifting cereal boxes." Axel laughed at the glare Daryl gave him, he not getting to stay behind.

Maggie remained at the truck; Axel stood on the ground while she climbed to stand in truck bed.

Inside the house, Alana asked Glenn where a bedroom was. He showed her to one. Those who had chosen to opt out in the house had at least been courteous and done it in the living room. Alana tore the sheets from the bed, handing them to Daryl and Glenn. "Glenn, grab the food, then move on to the closets." Glenn took the sheet and hurried off. Alana handed another sheet to Daryl who had purposely lingered at the door, allowing Glenn in first. He had hoped that Alana would pick up on why he was being rude to her in the car; he'd wanted her to come into the houses with him. She had told him to stay where she could see him. Now he wanted her where he could see her. "Check that bathroom," she told him with a nod of her head to the connected room. As he passed by he reached a hand out to brush at her side. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that she had turned to watch him for a brief moment.

Alana remained in the bedroom going through the dressers and closet. Daryl had moved on to another room. It was a certain level of strangeness, going through someone's socks and underwear and bras. She tossed everything into the center of the bed sheet. In the closet she grabbed any long pants she saw. Everyone was fine on coats so she left those on the hangers, they'd only take up space anyways. Her eye caught a hanger with belts on it and so she snatched them. Alana moved on to another bedroom. As she was getting ready to call it quits and tie the sheet up Daryl walked down the hallway. She caught his attention and he came in, looking at the opened dresser drawers.

"I'm taking this one out. Can you get the rest? Then we'll move on to the next house."

Daryl nodded and fought himself from taking the bundle from Alana. He started to regret getting her to come into the house and help. Worried about how badly her knee would be after the day was over.

Outside Alana dumped the bundle into the back of the truck, telling Maggie they were moving on to the other two houses.

"Hey," Maggie called out quietly. As she jumped down from the bed of the truck she took a quick look around. "If you see any tampons or pads, be sure to grab them." Alana nodded. "And…protection?" Alana nodded again, a bit hesitantly. "Thanks."

Alana thought that Glenn could just be getting those things for her, but he not being a woman, well it made sense that Maggie asked her. Plus Glenn had seemed to be too busy going through the kitchen and grabbing all the food he could.

The second house was two stories. Alana stared at the steps before her, ready to tell Glenn to head up, when he rushed off to the kitchen, making straight for a pantry. The metallic _clink_ of soda cans could be heard along with Glenn's voicing of excitement. There were no bedrooms downstairs and so with a heavy sigh Alana gripped the staircase and began the climb up. After likely looking behind them, she felt Daryl rest a hand on her lower back, giving her a gentle push.

Knowing she'd have to come back down the stairs, Alana took the bathrooms while Daryl checked the bedrooms. One bedroom had been turned into a storage room, so Daryl quickly finished, tossing his bundle down the stairs. He walked down the hall looking for Alana after barking down to Glenn to take the stuff outside.

Daryl found her at the end of the hall in one of the bathrooms, staring down at a box in her hand. He instantly began fidgeting in the doorway. Alana casually looked up to him. "Maggie has a shopping list," she muttered, pulling the packages from the box and shoving them in her pocket. They both then looked at what all she had grabbed. Whoever had lived in this house, they must have shopped at a surplus store. Alana had found a large package of tampons and another of pads. Daryl saw Alana overtly shudder and then pick up the bundle. "Let's just pretend we never saw any of this." He gladly nodded his head.

At the top of the stairs Daryl took the bundle from her and walked down the steps first. She came down close behind him. Glenn could be heard in the downstairs bathroom, which was located behind the stairs. Alana reached a hand out to rest on Daryl's shoulder. As Glenn came down the hall she let it slip away.

For the last house Alana opted to check upstairs once again, along with Daryl. Glenn appeared to think nothing of it, likely just saw it as Alana being stubborn. And the fact that she and Daryl weren't causing any friction for the trip left Glenn unassuming of anything.

Alana and Daryl were going through one of the bedrooms. She had pulled a chair over from a small vanity to a dresser, sitting down to go through the clothing.

Daryl looked over to her from the closet. "Ya okay?" he asked her quietly, holding a couple of shirts. She nodded her head, tossing pairs of socks into her bundle. Daryl continued to look over at her. "What were those drugs ya took?"

"Vicodin."

"Knee hurting?"

"It's just really sore is all."

Again Daryl was regretting dragging her into the houses.

Glenn came bouncing up the stairs, done with the first floor. Alana told him there was another bedroom to be checked and he headed in its direction. Grabbing a few more items, Alana was done and began tying the bundle up. Daryl reached out for the bundle, taking it down the stairs along with his own.

It was 3PM when the group finished with the houses. After one last check of the area, Alana ordered everyone back into the cars.

They'd reach the prison within the hour.

WDWDWDWD

Andrea spotted the cars and was quickly out of her chair, walking out on to the balcony of the guard tower. "They're here!" she shouted down to Rick who had been sitting outside C-Block since Alana had radioed that they were on their way back. Everyone at the prison was eagerly awaiting their arrival. The anxiety of sending a group out never went away completely. Not until the group had returned, all accounted for.

Dale and Rick pulled the gates open and the cars drove in. The group immediately began going through what had been brought back. Rick walked up to Alana as she grabbed her gear from the backseats.

"Everything go alright out there?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alana told him. "Roads were pretty clear. Just a couple of deserted cars." Rick asked if they had had any other issue with walkers aside from the incident at the barn. She told him no.

Alana looked around at the others, seeing them welcome back the group. She saw how Daryl stood unsteadily as Carol came over to him. He nodded at her before sidestepping and heading into the prison with his gear. Alana turned back to Rick who was still speaking.

He was asking if it looked like anyone had passed through, but Alana again told him no. All signs pointed to no one going down those roads for a long while. "But we went ahead and took all that we could from the houses," she told Rick. "In case someone does go by, they won't want to stay there. And the houses are right on the road. Only a fool would think it was safe."

"Alright," Rick responded, patting Alana on the back. "We'll take care of this. Go ahead and get some rest. T-Dog's fixing something up for dinner. Got started on it once you radioed."

On her way in, Dale took her pack from her and took it up to her cell. Soon after he left Hershel came in, looking down at her knee.

"How's it feel?"

Alana took the brace off, the material of her pants deeply wrinkled underneath. She rubbed at her knee lightly. "Sore. Really sore," she said with a chuckle. "Think it's getting better though."

Hershel went ahead and suggested what medication she should take and that a hot bath would be helpful, if only they had something they could use as a tub.

As he was finishing his suggestions Daryl walked up to Alana's cell, her extra rifle in hand. Hershel gave a nod and left.

"Forgot this," Daryl told her, laying it on the floor with the rest of her weapons. He felt redundant, but he asked her again how her knee was. "What that old man talkin' bout?"

Alana waved it off. "Said it'd help if there was something we could use as a tub. Actually be able to have a hot bath." When Daryl didn't say anything she asked if he would go find Maggie for her. "Hey," she added when he turned away. "Tonight?"

Daryl thought on it. It wasn't a good idea. Both of them were tired from the day, chances were high that they'd both fall asleep and not wake up in time. And he was still regaining his balance from that morning. From that kiss. And now believing that he had forced Alana into her current situation, Daryl almost didn't want anything to do with her for the rest of the day.

Yet he had paused before answering Alana.

"Ya should get some rest."

Daryl left her cell, going off to find Maggie.

She came up to her cell shortly. Alana handed over the contents of her pockets and Maggie blushed, quickly shoving the packets into her own pockets. "Thank you so much," she told Alana, looking out the cell. "Dinner's gonna be ready soon. You coming down to eat?"

Alana nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll just relax for a bit. Let me know when it's ready."

"Sure." Maggie started to walk out of the cell and then paused, hanging onto the large bars. "Hey, Daryl didn't…give you any trouble? Did he?"

"No. No, he just whined about breaking a sweat," Alana said with a smile. She tried to push the tension away by telling Maggie how he paled when he saw her grabbing the tampons. It made both of the women laugh.

"I'll come get you when dinner's ready then."

WDWDWDWD

Lori helped to go through the bundles of clothing, sorting everything out. When it was all done, the group then went through the piles, picking out what they needed. All of the undergarments had been taken into the showers, placed in the large washing pots with a mixture of half water and half bleach. They'd soak overnight and then be washed the next day.

Those that had headed out on the run were all resting. Axel was quick and loud to lay claim to the showers first. Alana was the last. Without the brace she sat on the cold tiles of the shower after turning the water on. She didn't much care to slip and fall, to come shambling out a naked, wet walker with a limp. When she was done and had wrapped a towel around herself Alana heard Michonne calling out from the hall before coming inside. When she saw the small struggle Alana was having to get over to where she had set her clean clothes, Michonne headed out to grab a chair from one of the offices. Alana gladly sat down in it to begin dressing.

Michonne leaned against the doorframe, her head hung. "Saw Lori creeping round in your cell while you were gone," she said. She could see Alana's movements slow significantly. "Her and Carol were washing clothes."

Alana hadn't noticed anything missing in her cell. Then again, she was more concerned with being able to lie down and rest. "Did she take anything?" she asked, pulling up her bra straps and buttoned up her pants.

"Pile of dirty clothes. You had some things on the clothesline, but I took them from her, brought them up to your cell."

Alana slipped a grey wife beater on and slid into a long sleeve flannel shirt. "I didn't see anything missing. Guess she was just getting my laundry."

"Saw Carol too," Michonne added as they walked out from the showers. She lowered her voice. "Talking with Lori. Except, Lori didn't look too intrigued by whatever she had to say."

Alana shook her head, walking slowly down the hall. "Not my concern. They want to whisper about me behind my back, I don't care."

Coming out into the cellblock, Michonne watched Alana climb up the stairs.

In her cell, Alana lowered herself slowly onto the bed, her eyes scanning over everything. She braced herself on the mattress as she leaned back. Her fingers then flexed at the sheets. She pulled them back and sighed when she saw the shirt. With a glance outside the cell Alana gathered the shirt up and stuffed it in the underside of the pillow. She laid down, a towel wrapped round her head.

She woke what felt like a few seconds later as Maggie shook her shoulder.

Dinner was ready.

"Want me to bring you a plate?"

Alana sat up and swung her legs over. She put the brace back on and stood up.

In the cafeteria she saw that a plate had already been prepared for her and was waiting at the table. Andrea and Michonne were already sitting down, along with Axel. He was chatting away about the walkers at the country club.

"G.I. Jane over here, little lady must have taken out half those damn things."

"She was a sniper in the army," Carl said.

"Oh yeah?" Axel said as he turned round to look as Alana came to the table. "You kill any…foreign dignitaries?"

Alana took her seat and pulled the plate of food towards her. "Killed people, didn't ask questions about them."

"That's enough about killing," Lori said then, looking from Carl to Axel as she pushed food around on her plate. When she looked back down at her plate, Axel caught Carl's eye and stuck his tongue out to Lori. A splatter of snickers filled the room. Axel turned back round in his chair and went back to eating.

Alana had seen Carol at Daryl's table. After spotting her there she sat and kept her head down, thankful that she had her back to Daryl's table. Everyone was making small talk, either amongst tables or with others. Really the only interaction from Alana's table was carried on by Axel, who had no problem talking clear across to another table. The last thing Alana heard him say was something about the grits T-Dog had made, something about what was in them.

Rick made another announcement that he'd be wanting to send a group out at a later point, just to check the area. He believed that for the time being things would be okay though and that there was no need to go out on more supply runs. "Not for a couple of weeks hopefully," he said. He wanted to focus on maintaining the area around the prison and then move further out.

A few weeks? Wasn't that just like saying a month? Alana tried to imagine what she would do for a month at the prison, with no reason to head out other than to kill walkers that came into the fields. It would at least allow her knee to fully heal. But a month?

She could hear as Carol stood from her table, offering to take Daryl's plate, to get him another drink. Even asked Dale if he needed anything. After she passed by, Alana excused herself and left the cafeteria, saying she was going to get a head start on sleeping. There was a chorus of 'goodnight' that followed her.

In her cell she laid facing the wall, the covers pulled up all around her. After a short while she felt someone's shadow fall over her, but she didn't turn to see who it was. The person left after a few seconds. From the echo of the steps, Alana figured it was Daryl.

For a long while after the others had gone to bed Alana slept. She woke a few times, turning her wrist over to look at the time. She wanted to go to Daryl's cell, but just as he did, she knew they'd both fall asleep and risk being caught. And there was something in her that said Daryl didn't want to see her. The way he had looked at her when they got back, when she had asked about seeing him that night.

Alana rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.

WDWDWDWD

The creak of her bedframe could be heard in his cell.

Daryl had slept for a few hours, but woke when T-Dog came back into the prison from his shift, waking Hershel to take the next.

An hour went by and he heard the creaking noise again.

Part of him worried that Alana would come into his cell. He was paranoid that they'd be found out. When they had returned from the supply run Daryl noticed something _wrong_ in his cell.

It was tidy.

More importantly, the bed was tidy.

Normally Daryl was capable of washing his own clothes. Did so while they were at the campsite outside of Atlanta. But now Carol was always there, to beat him to the task. And Daryl felt that there was nothing he could, should, do about it. If it kept Carol placid, then so be it. Anything to ensure Alana's status in the group was not jeopardized. Coming into his cell though and fixing up his things, it made the paranoia set in. What if Alana left something behind and Carol saw it? What if she could just _know_ that Alana had been in there? Women were like that, he thought, they always _knew_ things. Some even claimed to know everything.

They couldn't keep meeting in his cell, he thought. It was only a matter of time before they slipped and were found out. They'd just have to meet during the day. In that office she had pulled him into. That would work.

He began thinking of that office. Of the kiss. He'd be damned to admit it, but that kiss…it had changed things. Changed _everything. _Even if he wanted to stop it, end what was between them, there was no going back now.

Those thoughts were in his head when he heard the soft rustle of the sheets being pushed back; he craned his head up to see Alana walking carefully inside. Those thoughts were in his head and they pushed out every doubt he had about himself and Alana.

"Hi," she whispered to him, standing before the bed.

Daryl looked down at her leg. There was no brace on it. It looked like she had a pair of Wilhelm's pants on, being held up with a belt. Her feet were swallowed up by the excess of material. She held the material of the long sleeve shirt tightly round herself.

The anxiety left her body when Daryl pushed the blankets back; he sat up, scooting back to give her room. She lowered herself down on to the mattress, lying on her side, facing him. He pulled the blankets back up, reaching round her to make sure she was completely covered. As he rested back down he realized how close he was to her, but there was nowhere for him to go.

In nearly total darkness, Daryl couldn't see the blankness in her eyes. Her mind had fallen back onto what Michonne had told her. About Lori being in her cell. Alana knew that if she told Daryl about it, that he would become angry. That he could possibly end things between them. She didn't want to lie to him, to keep this from him. But she didn't want to lose him either. What she needed was reassurance.

Daryl felt as she once again reached out for the hem of his shirt. He prepared himself for her to touch his skin again.

Alana then rolled over, searching for Daryl's arm as she did so. She rested into the curve his body made on the bed and laced her fingers with his. He could feel as she splayed hers against his, feeling their smallness compared to his.

She risked kissing the palm of his hand.

When he didn't flinch or fill with tension, Alana had her reassurance.

Daryl let her pull his arm to her chest and hold it there. And when she whispered to him, "Let me stay till morning," he was unable to say no. Unable to say anything. His mind was already fast at work; the sheets hid them from everyone else. When none were looking, she could slip out, act as if she was coming out from her own cell.

Guilt and wanting kept him from heeding the risk.

He felt her shiver as his breath hit her neck.

Alana gripped his hand as Daryl nudged the collar of her shirt down and kissed her nape.

It was well worth the risk.

All of it was.

**Poor Daryl, his head is like a constant battlefield haha, all these different thoughts running round. **

**You think Alana is going to say something to Lori? Or maybe the other way around? **

**And now that Daryl has fully decided there's no going back between him and Alana, you think anything is going to change? Think he might start taking more risks? Maybe open up to her a bit more about himself? Remember, he's never said anything to her about his scars. How do you think he feels about them and what he thinks when he sees her scars? **

**Send in your reviews! Ramble all you want! Be long winded! Get it all out! **

**Next chapter shall be up in a week :) **

**Also, for all those asking about possible sequels to this story and how many more chapters I'll be writing: I have no idea. I do plan to follow the storyline in the comics, but of course, I will eventually catch up with the comics. Though I have my own side stories I'm going to bring in, that catching up will still happen at some point. At that point I could either continue on with my own storyline or only post one chapter a month as the comics come out. I do plan on keeping this as one story, albeit large one haha. So it's very possible that I will reach 100 chapters on this story. **

**One thing I may do is, once the 3rd season starts, is to post one-off's that align with the episodes, but include Alana. Just a little something extra for you guys (: An alternate to the alternate universe of this story. **

**Okay, I'm done rambling, now it's your turn! **

**GO! **


	52. Chapter 52

**Bam! **

**New chapter! Picking up right where we left off in the last chapter. **

**Enjoy! **

**LadyLecter47: Daryl and all his thoughts! It ain't easy having all his brain cells firing off lol. **

**Mrskaz453: Haha I know! Michonne is totally on their team! Of course, she isn't going to say a damn thing about it haha. Oooo I hate Lori too, this is my way of giving her some sort of redemption or at least a chance at it. I agree with the Alana and Lori talk, it shall be coming eventually (: And the scar idea, I already have that set up in my head (: **

**Emberka-2012: Yup, eventually they're going to start having talks together.**

**JellyBear7: Thanks!**

**Leyshla Gisel: Yup, totally sucks for them. But hey, things have to get better at some point, right? **

**JesseGlennFan: Yes! The Governor will eventually show up (: If you know the storyline of the comics, that's pretty much what I'm doing, following that storyline with my own bits tossed in as well. But of course there are some things from the comics that I will be changing here and there. **

**MyLovelyRAB: Sweater Vest Walker, you are gone, but not forgotten. Hehe. **

**Guest: Yup Daryl is always blaming himself, poor guy. It was Daryl that was in her cell in the last chapter (: you nailed it perfectly, Alana really is like a mistress with the way he's keeping things secret. And I'm working out for a scene where Daryl hears Carol talking about Alana, will make for a great reaction from him (: And making a bath tub, you totally read my mind! **

**Guest: Here! **

**Manatakira: Yes! Things would be so much easier! Now if only we could get Daryl to see that lol. **

**Gray12: Two days! Wow! Thanks so much! Well here's a new chapter, so enjoy (: **

Daryl's mindset from the night did not carry over into the morning when he woke and Alana was still there.

He did wake before the others, which gave him some relief. But his current situation was not one he saw any possible relief from, aside from getting Alana out of his cell. Daryl had never truly had an issue with waking to Alana at his side. It wasn't as if he had ever woken to find her lying directly atop of him. So of course he had never had to deal with what was happening that morning.

They hadn't moved from their places; Alana was still curled into Daryl, his arm draped over her. When he had awoken he must have stirred a bit, and that in turn prompted Alana to stretch slightly, pushing herself against him in her sleep.

Daryl didn't realize so much as he _felt_ the issue.

He could feel himself twitch at her touch and immediately Daryl wanted to put distance between them, but his back was to the wall. There was nowhere for him to go. He clinched his eyes shut, trying to calm his hectic heart and breath. As carefully as he could, he pulled his right arm from Alana's hold. She had rested her arms over his, pressing it to her chest as one hand laid limp within his own. Daryl cursed himself as the rise and fall of her chest met with his arm. When free from her hold, he grabbed her shoulder, rocking her with a jerky hand.

"Wake up!" he whispered with a hastiness he could not hide. He could feel a dull pain, laced with an odd sensation of wanting, below his waist as shaking Alana only caused her to brush against him again. Daryl quickly halted his actions. "Ya gotta get out!"

Alana mumbled something that didn't sound English. Didn't even sound German. Waking, she stretched her legs out while covering a yawn. She looked at her watch to see the time. Daryl caught the sheets as she pushed them down, pulling them back up to cover himself.

Her steps quiet, Alana approached the sheets covering the cell bars. At first she just stood there, sleep lingering to her limbs. There was no hint of movement outside. She pulled the sheet back slightly, taking a glance out. In a few steps she was inside her own cell, lying down gently onto her own bed.

Daryl had pushed himself up onto his elbows, a scowl on his face.

It was embarrassing. He always experienced this in the morning, but it was as if his body knew that Alana was right there, and so had reacted. Intensifying his awareness. As Daryl slowly came down from the sensation, he felt relief. The embarrassment remained though. It was made greater by the fact that while he was glad to have Alana out of his cell he felt the want to have her back, pressed up against him.

He couldn't control this want.

His emotions soon turned to frustration.

Later in the morning when breakfast was ready, Daryl quickly grabbed his food and left the cafeteria, heading up to the guard tower. He unceremoniously kicked Hershel out. Daryl wasn't set for a watch that day and so it wasn't long before T-Dog came up, ready for his turn at a shift. He eyed Daryl suspiciously, wondering what he was doing up there. Daryl, in turn, eyed him.

"What the hell ya want?" he asked T-Dog before turning back to stare out over the fields.

"To take my watch."

When he saw that T-Dog wasn't going anywhere, still standing in the doorway, Daryl huffed and got up. T-Dog took a step to the side as Daryl stalked past him and down the stairs.

His feet led him back into C-Block, landing him inside his cell. A survey of the area had his eyes resting on his book. Daryl grabbed it and began to head out. He stopped though, taking another look around him. He bit at his thumb, put the book down, and bent over his bed, pulling the sheets back up. Tidied up the best he could. Looked good enough to him. Should be no reason for Carol to go in there. He had no pile of dirty clothes.

Daryl then left his cell and headed for the library. Once there, he sat down at one of the tables and began reading _A Game of Thrones_. He tried as hard as he could to keep Alana off of his mind.

It was so stupid and made no sense, how suddenly things had changed for him. He was beyond sure she wasn't going through any of this shit. She'd probably had plenty of guys. Gone through her own moments of butterflies fluttering in her gut. Moments of uncontrolled…sensations. This whole damn thing was probably just a walk in the fucking park for her.

But for him?

Oh, no. Of course it'd be driving him fucking insane.

What was he supposed to do now? Now that his body had decided to start acting on its own accord. What would happen the next time he was alone with her? What if they kissed again? What if she kissed him? And the nights. He couldn't control his body in his sleep; he doubted he'd have control over it while awake at night with her by his side. How would _she_ react to him? She could be disgusted by him. She could laugh at him.

Daryl had never thought so much or so hard before in his life. With Alana now in it, seemed like it was all he ever did.

WDWDWDWD

Alana recalled Daryl waking her that morning, urging her to get out of bed and go back to her own cell. She had stood for a moment at his cell's entrance, almost falling back asleep right there. After a few blinks of her eyes she pulled the sheet back, checking the cellblock. The walk back to her cell was like a sleepwalk. Her body was on autopilot as she crawled under her covers, pulling the shirt out from her pillow before falling back asleep. When she woke later on and passed by his cell to head to the bathroom, Daryl was already gone. Nearly everyone was, having gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast.

Arriving for breakfast, Alana saw that Daryl wasn't there.

It was like that for the rest of the day. Everywhere she looked, Daryl wasn't there. She heard that he had gone up into the guard tower, but when she looked up she saw T-Dog there instead. She heard he was in his cell; she walked past, going to her cell to grab a weapon. She was going to go out and take care of a few walkers at the gates. Alana stopped at Daryl's cell to ask if he wanted to help, but he wasn't in there.

Alana had been sitting outside with Michonne and Andrea when she heard of the next place Daryl was hiding. Lori had come out from C-Block, looking over her shoulder as she walked over to the clotheslines. With a basket at her side, she began taking the garments down, folding everything and making separate stacks for each person.

"Could you give me a hand?" she asked Alana and the others.

Andrea had her back to Lori; when she turned back round to Alana and Michonne she raised a brow. But the three stood up and walked over to Lori anyways.

Lori looked to each of them and then down at the piles she had made in the basket. "Here's yours," she said to Michonne, "Yours," to Andrea, "And yours," to Alana. She then asked if they would take a few other piles to the other cells. She kept a few for herself and followed after them.

Andrea and Michonne had dropped off their piles; Alana was heading up the stairs to deliver Maggie's and Glenn's and to drop off her own pile.

"Oh, wait," Lori called out to her. She grabbed a last pile from the basket. "These are Daryl's. Could you take them? Been a bit woozy on my feet today." Alana hesitated, but eventually took the pile from her with a nod of her head. "Thanks. Just toss them in, he isn't in there. Off in the library of all places," Lori added with a forced ironic tone.

Making her way up the stairs, Carol must have come in to the cellblock and was speaking with Lori about the laundry. She hadn't been aware that Lori was already getting to work on it. Alana didn't look down at either of them as she poked into Daryl's cell and dropped the pile right at the entrance against the wall. She spent a bit inside her own cell, mulling random thoughts over in her head. About Daryl. About Lori. About Carol.

And the library.

She decided to head towards it with the excuse of looking for a book to read.

Something kept her from going inside though. It kept her feet moving. Alana stole a glance inside and saw Daryl, hunched over a table, staring down at a book. He looked like he was trying to make himself as tiny as possible, as impenetrable as possible.

He wanted to be alone.

Alana allowed him his space although she didn't understand his actions. No one had seen her leaving his cell. No one had said anything, at least not to her. And if someone had said something to Daryl…well she'd know about it. The man had a temper and when it got the best of him, he didn't exactly use his inside voice.

Reaching the back of C-Block, Alana headed into the gym to the weight room.

She wanted to be left alone. She found herself put down by Daryl, wanting to know what was going through his head. Wanting to know what had gone wrong this morning that had led to the day being void of interaction between them.

Alana wasn't alone in the gym for very long; her mulling over those thoughts had to come to an abrupt end as Michonne joined her. She kept her mind distracted though, encouraging Alana to try out the leg press machine. She snorted when Michonne set the weight back to ten pounds as a starting point for her.

Michonne smiled. "Baby steps," she told Alana. Recalling what Axel had said, she added, "You might be G.I. Jane, but you sure as hell aren't Wolverwine. You heal just the same as the rest of us." She looked Alana up and down slowly. "Maybe even a bit slower with all the damn messes you get yourself in."

There wasn't much of an argument to be made and so Alana didn't say anything, only laughing along with Michonne.

The two of them remained in the gym and as the time went by Michonne added more weight to the machine, having Alana alternate from a slow pace to a fast one; building the weight up and then bringing it back down. Michonne even threw in a few of those typical trainer lines, telling Alana to keep up the pace, just one more minute, maintain the form. Alana replied with the typical lines filled with profanity.

"Dad used to help out at a youth club. Spent everyday after school there for a few years. It's all kinda stuck in my head now," Michonne told her when they stopped to take a breather.

"What did he do there?"

"Taught the kids boxing. Helped a few out who wanted to play football. Did a bit of soccer. Bit of everything." Michonne shrugged. "Whatever it took to keep them off the streets."

"Sounds like a good man," Alana observed.

"He was." Michonne rubbed at her arm. "Glad he died before all this. Heart attack, thirteen years ago."

"And your mother?"

"She left a long time ago." Her face was straight, but in her eyes Alana could see she was reaching back in to the past. "It was the Friday after my 9th birthday. Never heard from her. And never cared." She pushed herself off from the neighboring workout machine. "I'll go grab us some water."

Alana watched her walk away, not saying a word.

She spent the rest of the day in the gym with Michonne. Andrea ultimately came and joined them. When the three finally came out from their hiding place at the back of the prison, Daryl was no longer in the library. Alana didn't see him until close to dinner when she was outside. He was just heading off to do a walk along the fences. Her body was still coming down from the workout she had put it through. Her knees were radiating with a comforting ache. Shaking her right leg out before her, Alana spoke up.

"I'll tag along. Need to stretch my legs out."

Daryl frowned as he looked over to her. "Don't expect me to slow down for ya," was what he told her.

Alana kept her distance until they were past C-Block and out of view from the others. She took a few quick steps to catch up with him, walking at his side. She wanted nothing more than to _not_ ask him if everything as okay. It was such a cliché thing to ask. And the question itself seemed to always impart a negative response.

Now that she finally had him alone, Alana didn't know what to say to him. What was a safe topic? They were coming close to the end of A-Block. Still with no idea of what to say, Alana went with what she thought would give her insight into what had been going through Daryl's head all day.

"Think my knee's healing up faster. Michonne, she had me pressing thirty pounds in the gym. I'm thinking about getting rid of the bed frame." Alana dared a glance over at him, trying to find some reaction on his face. "What do you think?"

Daryl gave a shrug. "Whatever ya want."

She sighed. They were now in view of the guard tower. Alana waited until they were nearer to C-Block, to the others who were outside. "Will you come see me tonight?"

Daryl didn't have long to answer. He looked up at the guard tower and a plan came to mind. He could take the last shift. Or maybe even the second shift. Then he wouldn't be able to stay with her for the entire night and he could go back to his own cell. Wouldn't have to worry about the next morning.

He didn't nod, only said, "Alright."

Alana instantly went to her cell, clearing the mattresses off, hiding the shirt. Axel and Dale helped her with getting the mattresses off the metal frame and moving the frame into an empty cell.

She spent the remainder of the day patiently waiting for the night to come. Dale had suggested laying the mattresses next to each other and stacking two more on top of them. It did wonders for the comfortableness. King size bed sheets were pulled over them and Alana had a quaint bed in the corner of her cell.

When night came she lied with her back to the wall, eyes looking out over to the cell's entrance.

She waited for Daryl.

WDWDWDWD

He wasn't sure if Alana would really toss out that bed frame. He was actually kind of hoping she wouldn't. Would have meant he'd be able to just sit on the floor. If he was going to have a reaction to her, he'd prefer it was while he sat on the floor. Not while he was lying beside her. The fact that he'd be awake and aware of the situation from the very start only added to his trouble.

Yes, there was no sureness that anything would even happen, but there was the possibility. And there was no controlling it. Well, there actually was. But that meant staying away from her for the night. But what good would that really do? He couldn't stay away from her forever.

No.

He'd just have to…control it. Get over it. Figure a way around it.

This all would have been much easier if he had something to go off of, to follow. But growing up a Dixon didn't provide one with many positive examples of really anything. And Daryl most certainly wasn't going to go off asking anyone for advice. He'd gotten this far without any as it was. He may have followed suit after seeing Glenn and Maggie together, but look how that turned out. Whatever he and Alana were now, it wasn't the same as what they were prior to that kiss. And it was so ironically pathetic. He had slept in the same bed as her for countless nights. Shared his tent with her. He'd even seen her nearly naked. Twice. For fuck's sake…he'd nearly seen her naked.

These were not the thoughts he needed or wanted in his head.

There was a shout from the hallway followed by Glenn poking his head inside the library. "Hey! Dinner's ready," he told Daryl. He must have had a scowl on his face fore Glenn quickly left.

After a moment of collecting himself Daryl got up and headed out.

Dinner went by quickly for him. He kept his head down. Kept quiet. A stolen glance showed that Alana was doing the same. Night shifts were handed out and Daryl took the last one. It worked out perfectly in his head. He'd spend the second shift with Alana and then leave in time for his own shift. It'd lead into the morning and so he would be left with no time to go back to her cell.

When the time was right that evening, Daryl left his cell. It was some time into the second watch. It was Maggie's shift and so it had left him with the excuse of being unable to go to Alana's cell until Maggie herself had left.

He was still second-guessing his decision to see her that night. No amount of planning could truly prepare him for whatever could happen. One thing that did bring him a strange comfort was that she wouldn't be in his cell. For some reason, he thought it better that he be the one to go to her, to be in her cell, instead of Alana sneaking off into his. Maybe it was because her cell was furthest away from the others. Maybe it was because he was trying to protect her in some way; better that he be found in her cell than she found in his.

As he crept into her cell Daryl saw that she was still awake. Or perhaps she had just woken; she looked tired and worn, as if staying up for him had taken a toll on her. He stood at the foot of her 'new' bed. The cell felt much smaller now, with the large makeshift bed in it. It reminded him of the bed back at the farm. They actually had space now. If he wanted, he could roll away from her. The nights at the farm came back to him though; even if he did, she'd just roll over to follow him.

Alana scooted over to the other side of the bed then and Daryl felt that he needed to do something more than just stand there. He braced himself as he crouched and sat on the mattresses. Looking down at the sheets he thought for a moment before undoing his boots and removing them. With quiet movements he slid under the covers and Alana pulled herself to his side.

He had about three hours before he'd have to leave.

Alana intended to stay awake. And she intended to get something out of him, to find out what had been bothering him. She waited until his body relaxed next to hers and his breathing evened out. He lied on his back, an arm tucked under his head. She could see the small glint from his eyes as he stared up at the ceiling. Alana questioned telling him about Lori, of how she had been in her cell. How she may have seen the shirt. But there was no way of knowing if she had even figured out it belonged to Daryl. She could have just thought it had belonged to Wilhelm. Although, there was something strange about Lori. The way she acted today. But no. Alana could not be sure of anything. It'd be best to not mention anything yet.

There was still Carol though.

"She was in your cell," Alana whispered into Daryl's side while she hung onto the arm that laid across his stomach under the covers.

"Yeah," Daryl affirmed. Alana could feel his breathing fall out of sync with hers. "Ya shouldn't keep comin' to my cell." He instantly caught onto the harshness of his words. "Best if I just come here."

"Do you think she knows anything?"

Daryl shook his head. "No one knows anything. Gonna keep it that way."

There was no need for Alana to ask, it was clear that this wasn't just about the others finding out about them, more than Carol finding out. The stark reminder kept crawling into Alana's head. That if for nothing else, their secrecy was for Daryl himself. Since leaving the farm, things had changed for him. Something had happened while she and Andrea were missing and it altered the way Daryl now looked upon her. She knew of his actions in the gym, but no one had told her how he threatened to leave the group that night of the farm attack, to go back and get her. No one had told her how he stood watch that entire night on the side of the road, waiting for her. There had been no need for him to say anything to the group. His actions voiced more clearly than his words could have that he was doing more than simply protecting her for Wilhelm's sake. He had gone past honoring the request of a dead man. Daryl was protecting her for his own sake.

As silly as it sounded, it had been easier for Daryl to deal with the rest of the group back at the farm when it appeared that he had no choice in the closeness he kept with Alana. It had been easy for him to cover the truth up. Things were far from easy for him now. And the outburst from Carol had done nothing but made things harder for Daryl. Though at the same time…it had strangely made things a bit easy as well. Keeping her placid was now an excuse he could use to allow himself some distance from Alana when he needed it. Gave him time to figure things out. And there were many things for him to figure out.

Alana dared to ask, "This isn't just about Carol, is it?" She could feel Daryl shift at her side as the questioned unsettled him. And just as quickly he became gruff, shielding himself.

"Don't need anyone sticking their noses in my business."

She had been right, there had been no need to ask the question, the truth was there in his words.

This was about him.

"Ya should get some sleep," he told her then.

Alana pulled herself closer to him, bringing her head up to rest in the crook of his arm. "I'll sleep after you're gone."

Try as she might, Alana did fall asleep. She woke and sat up as Daryl was leaving her cell. He turned around to see her there, a tired, blank look on her face as she looked down at the empty space on the bed. She then looked up to him. Though he wanted to turn back around and leave, Daryl couldn't. He walked back over to the bed and knelt down. In his rush to get out of there he had made a mess of the blankets. He did his best to straighten them out and cover Alana back up as she lied down again. Daryl caught sight of his shirt stuffed in her pillow, the sleeve sticking out. Alana's small hand gripped onto it.

"You'll come back tomorrow night?" she asked him.

He nodded and before he could think it through, Daryl bent his head down and kissed her cheek. He held onto the back of her head with one hand and, again without thinking, tilted her head to capture her lips. It was over as quickly as it happened and Alana found herself alone in her cell.

In Daryl's mind, Maggie couldn't have come soon enough to his liking. He fought the urge to go back into Alana's cell. To kiss her again. But at the slightest stirring inside of him, he shut himself down. Pushed her away from his thoughts. Daryl pretended to be asleep when Maggie came to wake him. He waved her off with a hand after she shook him. After she had gone, he remained in his bed for a moment, waiting for his self-control to come back.

Over two weeks would go by after that night. Each day was the same as the next one. He kept his distance from Alana, only meeting her in rare moments during the day; in the hallway where he or she would reach out to brush fingers against a side, sometimes Alana would simply pull him into that office they had made their secret place and in there she would do nothing more than cling to him for a few seconds. It wasn't every night, but Daryl did go to her cell when the others were sleeping. He'd go every other night, two nights in a row, sometimes a few days would go by before he came by.

And every morning when Alana woke he was gone. Every now and then she'd wake to catch his shadow as he passed by. She caught him a few times as he rose from the bed; Daryl wouldn't falter in his movements. As he swept up to stand he'd lean in just enough to brush her cheek. He never once tried to kiss her again on the lips.

Alana felt as if they had come to a standstill. And as much as she wanted to do something, she knew she shouldn't. There had been a couple of times in those weeks when she was given the idea that Daryl was lowering his guard and she had acted on them. And each time that guard was instantly raised and he would disappear for the rest of the day. She had seen him, once, coming out from B-Block. It didn't take her long to learn that he had often been going off to the other building when he was not needed elsewhere. And each time he did, it occurred shortly after their small moments together.

If there was any good that came out of all of this, it was that no one looked at them with those suspicious eyes. Andrea paid no attention to the change between Alana and Daryl. Never questioned it. Michonne no longer mentioned how he would steal glances at Alana; truth was that he had stopped doing so. The others treated Alana the same as they always had. Maggie, for her part though, seemed to take a softened approach towards Alana, always checking in on her and or just appearing to make small chat with her. Alana continued to watch Carol and Lori. Nothing changed about Carol; she still helped around the prison, doing the light work, which didn't include any watch shifts or dealing with walkers. Lori kept to herself for the most part, doing her part with the light work as well. Occasionally Alana would be surprised by her; she'd stop to speak with her. She'd ask for help with the laundry when Carol wasn't aware. And whenever Rick pulled Alana aside to talk with her, Lori would be close behind after they parted ways, speaking of the most mundane things; the condition of the greenhouse, details on what they would be having for dinner that night.

At the closing of those two weeks Alana had begun to become accustomed to things between her and Daryl. Had begun to accept that this was where it stopped. Ended. That things would never move any further. Perhaps even things would eventually fade; they'd meet less often until at some point there was nothing between them anymore.

She accepted it on some level, knowing that there was nothing she could truly do about it. She could provoke something between them only if he first let his guard down. And with each passing day his guard seemed to remain more strongly intact.

But then, in the third week, Rick made a decision that once again changed just what exactly Alana and Daryl were to each other.

**What do you guys think Rick's decision is? I'll tell you this much, it's simple and very clever as far as Alana is concerned (: **

**Just so everyone will be on the same page for the next chapter, three weeks in total will have passed in the timeline. Time to start speeding things up a bit. We gotta get Lori to hurry up and have that baby, none of us wanna have to drag through seven months waiting haha.**

**So leave your reviews! It's a blast getting to read them all (: I shall be back next Thursday or Friday with a new chapter. Perhaps even sooner….depending on how much free time I have and how bored I get at work haha. **


	53. Chapter 53

**Long chapter here!**

**And spoilers warning! **

**Contains spoilers for _A Game of Thrones_, the book and television show. So you've been warned. **

**Other than that, I just really wanna get straight to this chapter, so thanks to everyone who reviewed, faved, followed, and all that good stuff. **

**Be sure to do it all over again for this chapter!**

It was drawing to the end of breakfast. The majority of the group had left the cafeteria already. Rick had made the slightest of motions to Alana that signaled for her to linger behind. As she took her time, waiting while the others finished up and left, Rick asked for her to head out with him for a patrol around the fences. Carl was still there and had tried to come along with them, but Rick told him to go and check on his mother.

Outside along the fences, Rick waited until they were past C-Block before speaking.

"I've been thinking. Maybe…we should do something." Rick glanced back behind them. "Took a look around in the gym. Think they used to set it up and show films in there for the inmates. Heard Axel mention something about it last week. I thought maybe we could do that. Set the gym up during the day. It isn't much, but…I think it would be good for the group." He looked to his side at Alana. "What do you think?"

Alana gave a nervous laugh, brushing her hair out of her face. "Sorry, thought you were wanting to send me on another supply run."

Rick laughed along with her. "No. No, we're doing fine right now. Just thought it would be good to do something for everyone." He looked out over the concrete and fields. "We've been lucky. But, I know people are getting restless. Back at the farm, well, fences weren't as high. None of us had the sense of being stuck there. I know it ain't easy for everyone here though. We may have shelter and food and protection, but…we're like cattle cooped up in here."

"We have plenty of fuel," Alana offered after taking in Rick's words. "When we checked those generators, they were near close to being full. We should be alright turning them on for a couple hours."

"I wanna keep it secret though," Rick added then. "Have it be a surprise."

Alana nodded. "We'd need to go through the buildings, make sure nothing was left turned on that could drain the generators when we turn them on. Less things running the better."

"We could do a check during the day, go through the buildings, make sure everything's off." Again, Rick quickly added, "I figured, we could use the walkies during the movie. Have someone out on duty still, and if anything should happen, they can just radio in. Have someone else on watch too. Give everyone a chance to get into the gym."

"When do you want to do all this?" Alana asked Rick. He in turn asked what day it was; he knew that she had continued to keep track of the days with the small calendar Wilhelm had once used. It was a Wednesday.

"Let's shoot for Friday then. Can you start heading into the other buildings, make sure everything's turned off?"

"Yeah. No problem."

"If you need to take someone with you, just make sure they'll keep quiet about this. I'll start poking round in the library. They probably have a projector stored somewhere in there. Already checked the gym out, looks like it's set up for sound. Saw a couple of plugs at the back wall."

Alana didn't have a shift that day; she had taken up a night one instead. Rick was going to be up in the guard tower for the second half of the day. She figured she'd start sneaking about then to the other buildings. With time to kill, Alana headed to the gym after circling the prison grounds. As usual, Michonne was there waiting for her.

They had fallen into a schedule of sorts. Every other day Alana would go to the gym and subject herself to Michonne's torment. Or at least, that's how Alana chose to see it. But as they continued Alana found the strength in her knee returning. Lately Michonne had begun pushing Alana to work on her shoulders; the taut skin from the cauterizing had limited her movement to the point that her muscles had begun to weaken.

When they were done the two headed to the showers. Michonne had finished first and left ahead of Alana, who followed after her a few minutes later. Walking through the hallways she looked up and saw a shadow coming from the corner. She slowed as she reached it.

It was Daryl.

She hadn't seen him since that morning when he left her cell. It was after the third shift that he had shown up and he remained there till the early hours. Both had slept through the night with ease until Axel got up to take the last shift. The man didn't care much about waking others up. Clomping down the stairs made enough noise to wake Daryl and Alana. And when enough time had passed, Daryl made his way to her cell. The two had stayed awake the rest of the night. When Daryl eventually left to return to his own cell Alana managed to get a few more hours of sleep.

Aside from that morning, Alana hadn't seen him. They crossed paths during breakfast, but that had been it.

Alana continued to rub at her hair with a towel but her steps began moving towards the wall. She looked up quickly to catch Daryl's eye before opening the door to the office they had become familiar with. There was a couch against the far wall. They both could tell automatically how long they'd have alone together by that couch. If neither of them sat on it, it meant someone would notice them missing quickly. If one of them sat down though they knew they could have a few minutes together.

Daryl paused at the door, closing it carefully as he peeked out from the blinds, while Alana walked over to the couch and sat down in the middle. She pulled her knees up to her chest and kept at drying her hair. Daryl waited a few seconds more before going to join her. He set his small pile of clean clothes on the floor, sitting to Alana's left.

"What does Rick want now?" Daryl said in a quiet tone that hinted slightly at agitation.

Alana had become used to this rather quickly. While Daryl seemed to disappear everyday, lessening the number of their meetings, Alana still interacted with others. For the most part it was Rick. Not a day would go by where he didn't come to her to speak. He would inform her of any walkers that showed up in the night, how many there were. He'd tell her the schedule for the day's shifts or the night's if she hadn't yet heard. He had gone over the maps they had a few times and would talk to her about it; he was trying to figure out where next they should go check, how far they should dare to venture away from the prison. Ask her her thoughts about the coming winter, what they would do if there was snowfall. In all, he confided everything to her. She listened and spoke when needed. Alana also spent her time sitting in the guard tower with Andrea and Dale. They were the two that pretty much had a monopoly on daytime watch shifts. There had also been a few times when Alana went outside the prison to help with the horses. It had come to a point where Glenn was trusted enough to handle the horses without Maggie or Hershel to supervise and so he had begun asking Alana to come out with him.

And every time afterwards being around the others in the group Alana would notice something unhinged about Daryl. It was particularly noticeable if he had seen her with Rick. She did her best to say nothing on the topic though. Did her best to not do anything that would make matters worse.

Alana noted how afterwards, as well, when they were alone—didn't matter for how long or how shortly—Daryl kept uncharacteristically close to her. But that at their partings he would seem all the more anxious to be away from her.

Again, she did her best to not say anything. He was, after all, still coming back to her. Had to count for something.

"Nothing," Alana answered. "Just wanted me to take a look at the maps." She knew Daryl had turned and was looking at her. "He's not sending me out. Just wanted to get an idea about how many towns are nearby and which ones we should possibly check out."

Daryl slumped a bit against the couch, an arm hanging over the armrest. Alana could feel his body slacken as she leaned against him, resting her head on his arm. It was only every now and then that Daryl would allow her any closer to him. It was usually when, as she believed, he was upset over seeing her interacting with the others. He'd wrap an arm around her shoulders or, if they were short on time, he'd pull her into an embrace the moment they were in the room. And while it was slow, Daryl was becoming slightly relaxed with her.

That was at least until they would part ways and Alana would feel as if they were back at the start of things. Every day was a repeat of the previous one. Some days there was more progress than others.

Daryl said that if Rick had any plans on sending her back out that he would be going with her on the premises that someone had to watch her reckless ass. But Alana shook her head.

"Don't you think it'll draw attention if you go out on every run? Besides," Alana added, "Rick's already said he's going out on the next run with me."

Daryl was left uncomfortable with the thought of not being part of the next supply group. He had been serious that night when Wilhelm died and he told Alana that he'd look after her from that point on. He very well couldn't do that if he was stuck back at the prison while she was somewhere out on the roads. And it was obviously clear to everyone that Alana was Rick's right hand. He ran everything by her.

And Daryl was slowly coming to hate it.

Felt like she didn't even need him. Didn't need him watching out for her. Why, when she had Rick? It didn't help that they had gone a month without any incident with walkers either. There was no need for Daryl to protect her, there was nothing to protect her from.

As much as he wanted to do something about it, say something to her, Daryl didn't do anything. How was he supposed to admit that he was, well, actually jealous that it wasn't just him that could protect her?

Alana sighed in her spot, balling up the towel. Her hair was dried enough to her liking. She braced a hand on Daryl's knee pushed herself up. He watched as she walked towards the door. Her limp had lessened over the weeks and she spent more time without the brace on. He followed after her.

"Tonight?" she asked, the question now mundane to her with the countless times she had asked it. Daryl nodded his head. He had taken a night shift while she took the last day shift.

Daryl gripped the pile of clothes in one hand as he stepped towards Alana. He knew she did it on purpose, busying herself one way or the other while he made his minimalist advance on her. She was combing a hand through her hair, trying her best to tame it so she wouldn't look like she had just stuck a fork in an electrical outlet. The action was futile.

He held her close to him with a hand on her nape. It was exploitative, the way he would hold her like that, by the back of her neck. His grip was never forceful, but with his hand at her nape and his body in front of her she was allowed no escape. She never showed a disliking to it though, and it was all that Daryl knew how to do. It gave him a semblance of control.

He waited for the feel of her gripping the hem of his shirt. Throughout the day he would rub at the spot, thinking the wrinkles from where she grasped it could be seen and would give him away.

Things had come to a point between them where he would keep himself so close to her, but nothing else. At first Alana had thought that perhaps he was waiting for her, to do something, anything. But the few times that she had, things had not gone well. He would instantly distance himself from her. She had never known a simple kiss to cause such damage.

It wasn't as if she couldn't stop herself. She could have. But after weeks of standing in front of a brick wall Alana wanted nothing more than to break it down.

Daryl had quickly tensed when he felt a small pull on his shirt as Alana braced herself, pulling herself up slightly. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see and unable to move away from her. She raised her arm and hooked it round his neck while resting her chin on his shoulder. Daryl should have stepped away from her when she turned her head and he could feel her lips resting carelessly against his neck. But he didn't.

She stepped closer to him and Daryl was brought back to his senses when he felt her press her body against his. With a spark he detached himself from her, stepping round to get to the door. Alana cleared her face of disappointment before following after him. She didn't look back at him as they headed their separate ways.

WDWDWDWD

Alana kept herself busy the rest of the day, kept herself from looking around for Daryl.

When it came time for a shift change she made sure that she was outside. Rick was there as well. She had told him that she would get started on B-Block that day and would need his help on a small matter. Dale was coming down from the guard tower and Andrea was heading up. With no one up top to see, Rick and Alana casually made their way towards B-Block. They looked as if they were just doing a simple patrol, just walking around. But as Rick turned the corner he was alone, Alana having slipped inside the building.

She unzipped her jacket, revealing a large knife at her side. There was a gun tucked away at her back. She reached down to pull the silencer out from her pant leg, attaching it to the gun. Reaching for her other leg, she pulled out a small flashlight. Alana held the gun in one hand while in the other held the baseball bat straight ahead, flashlight gripped against it.

Though B-Block and every other building had been cleared out there was still a level of creepiness about walking through the building alone. The walkers had been removed, but there were still remnants. And the walls seemed to suck in every echo, making the place void of sound.

Alana began with the closest rooms, checking every wall for switches. Practically everything was on. She went through a few offices, pulling out every plug she saw. She was eager to move along and get to the cellblock. At least there she'd be greeted with plenty of sunlight and wouldn't have to be second-guessing every shadow.

Standing at the entrance to the cellblock Alana stared over at what she thought to be the control room. There were a handful of screens that must have been for the security cameras. There were also a few computer screens and then panels of buttons. Unsure of where to start, she began looking around for what she knew best. Plugs and outlets. Everything was smack right up against the walls and nothing was going be budged one bit. Alana sighed in frustration, thinking that she should have brought someone with her.

And then the depth of her stupidity hit her. Everything was likely on a grid in the generator room. All they really needed to do was shut off those unneeded grids.

She exited the small room and came out into the cellblock.

There was a soft _clang_ as something moved in one of the cells.

Alana began backing away, shining the flashlight into every cell. At the far end of the row she saw something step out and she quickly trained her aim on it.

Daryl raised a hand, blocking the onslaught of light that she shone at his face. "What the hell ya doing in here?" he asked her as he relaxed the grip he had on his crossbow, bringing it down to his side.

"Nothing," Alana answered him. She walked towards him, squinting her eyes slightly as she looked into the cell he had come out from. It looked the same as all the other cells, torn apart. She could see the spot on the floor where he had tossed a mattress and the trash forming up next to it from various food wrappers. This was where he came all those times he disappeared. Btu why was he hiding out in here?

She could see that he didn't want to speak to her. Didn't want to explain himself. Alana moved to continue walking past him, down the halls until she reached the generator room.

"Where ya going?" he asked with irritation. In a few strides he was right behind her. What was wrong with her, going off on her own? Didn't matter if they had cleaned these buildings out, still wasn't a good idea to go wandering off on her own like this. He wanted to say that, but realized it'd mean nothing coming from him. He was the one that kept wandering off.

"To the generator room," said Alana. Daryl asked what for. "Rick told me to make sure everything was switched off." She didn't need to look back to know that Daryl had tensed at Rick's name. She sighed and stopped in the hallway, turning around to look at Daryl. "He wants to turn the generators on and show a movie. Get the group all in one room." Daryl scoffed. This wasn't fucking summer camp. But Alana's fallen face silenced him from saying anything. "There's a lot of bad memories now. And we can't kid ourselves, there's going to be more. Rick…Rick's just trying to give us some good memories too."

For a moment Daryl didn't say anything and Alana questioned if he would say something condescending. But he didn't. He held the crossbow at his side and stepped in front of Alana, leading the rest of the way to the generator room.

He guided her around once inside the room, finding the panel of switches quickly. They flipped all of them off aside from the one for C-Block marked as the gym. Though the place was empty Daryl led the way back to the cellblock. He headed back into the cell he had been occupying and sat on the mattress. He had expected Alana to continue on her way and leave. But she stood at the entrance to the cell, leaning against the bars. She looked around, fiddling with the flashlight.

"Rick wants to do the movie thing during the day. We'll still need someone on watch. I told him I'd do it, but he's insistent that everyone gets a chance to see the movie. So someone else is going to have to take a watch too. Thought…maybe you'd want to do it? I don't know what movie he's going to pick out, but I'm sure you don't want to be stuck in there the whole time," she said, the last bit coming out lightly.

"Yeah. Alright."

She saw him pick up a book and couldn't stop herself from asking if he was still reading it.

Daryl nodded, turning the book over in his hands. He looked up at her quickly. "Keep reading, hoping that dumb bitch Catelyn gets what coming for her. Tyrion ain't got shit to do with trying to kill Bran." When Alana said nothing in reply he looked up from the book to see her just standing there, her eyes wide. He opened his mouth a bit. There were so many plots in the damn book; he tried reminding her of what had happened. "Bitch is saying Tyrion sent that assassin after Bran, fucking kidnapped him, took him to see her batshit sister—"

Alana held a hand up. "Stop! I'm not that far!"

Daryl suddenly felt foolish. He just ruined part of the story now for her.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Thought you were ahead of me."

"I am…I was." Alana began to walk away. She stopped and came back to the cell he sat in. Far as Rick knew, she was going through every room, flipping switches. She had time. Alana sat down on the mattress next to Daryl, the bat on the ground. "What else happened?" she asked Daryl.

Unsure, he pushed himself up on the mattress and asked what was the last thing she had read. The last thing she could remember was Tyrion leaving the Wall with that one man of the Night's Watch.

Daryl did his best to tell her of everything she had missed. Alana thought it funny how he had an opinion of every character and didn't bother keeping them to himself. She found it interesting that he adamantly stood up for Tyrion, saying he was the only good Lannister. His reasoning being, "He's a midget, not a fucking idiot." Alana had no ground to argue against that.

"Bran's my favorite," she told him out of the blue. She smiled sadly. "I want him to walk again." Looking at him, she asked, "What about you? Who's your favorite?"

He thought about it for a moment. "Varys."

Alana laughed. "He's a clever one." She looked down at her watch. "I should leave."

She left then although she badly wanted to ask why he was in there. Why he kept going in there and hiding. He couldn't have been hiding from anyone else other than her.

But Friday would soon arrive. She could ask him then. And she wouldn't give up until he gave her an answer.

WDWDWDWD

During the early hours of the day Rick headed over to the library. He had found the projector and everything that would be needed. Had even picked out a movie. The prison library wasn't exactly stocked with recent films, but he had found Ghostbusters. He thought it was at least something that everyone would enjoy. And he thought it a plus that none of the good guys died. That was something he wanted to avoid.

With everything shut off, he sent Alana off to B-Block to flip on the generator. After she returned Rick called everyone outside and had Dale come down from the guard tower. Alana stood back and watched their faces as the group reacted to learning what Rick had planned for them. He ushered everyone inside the building, calling Dale over to help him set things up in the gym. Dale looked back to the guard tower, but saw Alana heading in its direction. Rick told him that she would be catching the second half of the movie, that Daryl would come out to replace her. Dale followed after Rick without a second thought.

Chairs and mattresses were brought into the gym as everyone picked out their spots while Rick and Dale set the projector up. Axel came up and began helping them when he saw that they didn't have a clue what they were doing. He waved his arms in the air, shooing them back as he took over things, plugging this and that in. There was a switch over on the wall that raised the basketball basket. The wall behind it was a plain, smooth white. Groans and snickers could be heard when the audio came over the speakers but no picture could be seen. With a curse Axel switched around some wires. The picture popped up on the wall and everyone greeted it with excitement. Axel left the gym then and the group waited before starting the film, not knowing where he had gone. He had gone to the kitchens, where he knew there was something hidden in one of the storage rooms. He pushed a large cart in front of him into the gym.

"Popcorn!" Carl shouted, jumping up from the mattress he and his mother sat on. He ran over as Axel pushed the cart over to the wall and unwound the cord. Rick told Carl to run and grab bowls for everyone.

Daryl had taken a seat at the back of the group. They all had arranged themselves in the center of the gym, either in chairs and on mattresses or up against the bleachers. Daryl sat on the floor against the bleachers a few feet away from the others. He frowned and looked away when he saw Carol walking his way. She and Maggie were going around and handing out extra pillows and blankets to everyone.

Carol's step faltered when Michonne uncaringly dropped the mattress she had been carrying near Daryl. When she saw the pillows in her hands Michonne walked over to her and took two. Daryl watched, but Michonne never once looked over at him. She pushed the mattress up against the bleacher and sat down, shoving one of the pillows behind her back. Daryl continued to look over at her until finally she turned and looked back at him. It didn't look like she was going to say anything to him. And even if she was, Andrea's coming to join her put a stop to it.

As everyone settled in to watch the film Carl came running back in with the bowls. He had also grabbed his backpack, emptying the contents to fill it with bottles of water. He stood by the popcorn cart with his father and Axel as the two tried to figure out how to work the thing. Leave it to Dale to then come forward and know exactly how to operate it. Seeing that his help was no longer needed, Axel walked off to find his own spot to sit down at, mumbling to himself, something about, "Too bad they ain't got _Casino_ in that stupid library."

And just like that it felt as if the group had migrated over towards Daryl; Axel had come and sit up on the bleachers behind him and Michonne and Andrea. He made another gripe about the movie selection. Andrea turned around, reminding him that there was a child in the group and he didn't need to be watching a film about guys whacking each other off and dumping bodies in the desert. But Axel had to have the last bit, saying compared to the dead walking, a bunch of old school gangsters wasn't all that bad. He then suggested they watch _28 Days Later_ as a sort of educational survival film.

When everything was ready and popcorn had been passed around Daryl found himself blocked in by Axel, Michonne, Andrea, Dale, and Carol.

He eagerly awaited and dreaded the halfway mark into the film.

When it finally came though he wasted no time and slinking out of the gym and into the hallway. The group had been told by Rick that Alana would be covering watch for the first half of the film and then Daryl would cover the other half. He had noticed that morning just how much thinking Alana had put in to this day. She had only had a box of cereal with no milk for breakfast and had eaten very little else the rest of the day. Her plan, far as everyone else knew, was to eat something after Daryl came to take her spot. It would leave her with ample time to remain up in the tower with him without alerting anyone in the group to her whereabouts.

He headed down the halls, making a stop in the cellblock to grab his jacket. He had found a zip-up hoodie in one of those houses out by the country club and had held onto it. He slipped the jacket on over it. Thinking for a second, he went into Alana's cell and saw her jacket lying there on the mattresses. He shook his head and took it with him, leaving the cell quickly.

Alana couldn't keep her eyes from darting over to C-Block, waiting for Daryl to come out from it. When he did she felt a bit of silliness come over her; there was no need for her to get up from her chair. Wasn't a need for her to do anything either than wait there for him. But it still felt strange just sitting there and waiting.

When Daryl reached the top of the guard tower he pulled a chair over towards Alana, holding her jacket out to her. She gave a small thanks and took it from him. She had layered two long sleeve shirts that morning and thought it would be enough, but it was colder up in the guard tower. Daryl turned around in his chair, looking over the fields. There had been no walkers since that morning.

Alana asked how things were going in the gym. He told her, mentioning the popcorn cart Axel had brought out. Daryl suddenly felt like crap for not thinking to bring her any when she whipped her head round to him at the mention of it. He tried to make her feel a bit better about things by telling her that the popcorn wasn't all that great, even though it was a lie.

He was caught off guard after rolling in the chair to the other side of the room when Alana asked him a question he didn't want to answer. He was reaching out towards the small pile of food on the tabletop for a bottle of water when she asked to his back, "Why do you keep going in there?"

He wouldn't answer her. He stayed over there on the other side, lazily looking out at the fields. How was he supposed to tell her the reason why he kept avoiding her? If he told her she'd just laugh at him.

Daryl knew that eventually Alana would go over there and join him. The creak of the wheels on her chair signaled it and then she was there at his side. She rested her arms on the desk.

"Am I doing something wrong?" she asked, looking over to him for only a moment. Daryl shook his head, biting at his lip. "You're not going to tell me, 'It's not you, it's me,' are you?" When Daryl said nothing in reply Alana's shoulders slumped. She pushed away from the desk to stand up.

"Stay. Just a bit longer," Daryl said to her although he wouldn't turn and look at her. Didn't want to see if she kept walking. But anxiety got the best of him when she didn't come back to sit at his side or hear her going down the stairs. He turned and saw her sitting near the door. Daryl sighed. "Not over there," he told her, pulling at the chair next to his.

"I wouldn't want to send mixed signals," Alana said in a flat tone.

Daryl slammed the bottle of water down on the desk. "Just get over here will ya?"

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Daryl's frustration quickly rose and he no longer wanted to be up there with her. He looked over to her again and with a huff stood from the chair. She asked him where he thought he was going as he approached her, intent on getting past her and leaving. Alana stepped side to side, blocking his path to the door that led to the stairwell. She reached behind her to push the door and close it, pressing her back against it.

As Daryl tried to grip her shoulder and make her move Alana lashed out and shoved him forcibly back. He stumbled on his feet but regained his balance, looking up at her with disbelief that she, that tiny little thing, had just nearly knocked him off his feet with nothing more than a shove.

"_What the fuck is wrong? Tell me! Tell me what I did wrong!"_ Alana shouted at him even though he wouldn't understand a word she was saying. She slapped the back of her hand into the palm of the other. "Tell me what's wrong! You won't let me go to your cell anymore. You sneak out in the mornings without even waking me. And! And even if I do wake up you only get out of there faster. Today is the longest I've spoken to you, the longest I've been at your side, awake during the day, together, since the farm."

It was all things that Daryl didn't want to hear. He rubbed at the back of his head, eyes to the floor. He wouldn't look at her. Wouldn't dare look at her. All he wanted to get out of there before she could say anymore. He had enough guilt on his back as it was.

He tried again to get past her and reach the door. Alana gripped at his jacket and held him at bay. "Just tell me what's wrong. We can fix it," she argued.

Daryl wouldn't look at her face. "Lemmo go," he told her, trying to pry her fingers from his jacket. But Alana shook her head, only gripping tighter.

Knowing it wasn't something wise, Alana pushed the warning from her head. She balled her fist and aimed for Daryl's chest. She shoved him then. Punched at him again. She could tell that he was doing his best to just stand there and take her anger, waiting for a chance to get past her, to let her exert herself. But Alana wouldn't relent. With a huff Daryl shoved past her; Alana quickly found her ground again and made for the door. She once again leaned against it and taunted him.

"Go on," she told him. "You want me gone, tired of protecting me? Tired of having to wake up next to me. That's probably why you insist on sneaking out, isn't it? Doesn't count if I'm asleep, right?"

Daryl braced his hands on the door above her head. He gritted out to her, "Move."

But she wouldn't. She kept talking and his control was quickly going. He didn't even really hear what she was saying anymore, the words were melding together in his head and she wasn't stopping. He realized it was too late after opening his mouth to yell at her, punching violently at the door.

"'Cause ya turn me on!"

Daryl was far more than certain that it was the worst possible thing ever to be uttered by a human being in the history of the world. He cursed profusely as he backed away from Alana, turning round in the small room. He flipped the nearest chair to him. "Get the fuck outta here," he said with little calm as he picked that chair back up and sat down in it, his back to Alana.

His words had caught her so far off guard that Alana could not even recall what she had just been saying. Her face was riddled with confusion and then shock. Her hands were still balled into fists. She looked down to them and slowly relaxed her muscles. Her shoulders fell and she hung her head.

It was soft and quiet, but Daryl could hear it. Could hear her. When he turned to look at her he could see her shoulders moving up and down. He knew she would laugh at him. Her face held a mixture of laughter and shock. It was too much for Daryl though. He stood and came towards her, pushing her back to the door. He wanted her gone from his sight. He told her again to leave; Alana fought against him though allowed herself to be pushed to the door. He could hear her apologizing, saying that she didn't mean to laugh. Didn't mean anything to him though, she _had _laughed at him.

"That's what this is all about?" she continued to ask Daryl. He wouldn't answer her, only told her to leave again and again.

He knew the moment he did it that he regretted it, but it had been done. He slammed her up against the door without care and turned away, going back to sit down. He waited for her to strike back, to hit him. To do anything.

Instead he heard her quietly speak.

"Please, Daryl. I…"

It was different from everyone else, when she said his name. There was a nakedness to her voice.

She shouldn't have still been there, he thought. He had done enough damage in those few minutes; she should have left already, intent on never speaking to him again. Daryl flinched when he felt her grab his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I laughed. I shouldn't have," she told him. He told her to leave. "Please," she replied, trying to turn him in the chair to face her, but he kept his feet planted. Alana tried to lean over the desk and make him look at her. "That's why you'd leave in the mornings…" she said, not finishing the thought. She'd save him that humiliation at least. But Daryl didn't want to hear any of it. He stood again, twisting out from her grasping hands and made for the door.

He stumbled as Alana pushed at him; she gripped at his shoulders and turned him round, his back smacking into the door. He tried to pull her hands away from him but stopped suddenly when she grabbed his face.

He remembered that look in her eyes, that uncertainty reverberating through her body. He remembered it from back at the farm that day she had hugged him.

Daryl stood there, his back tense against the door and eyes shut tightly, as Alana pushed herself up to kiss him.

He had no control after that. His hands found their way to her waist and held her to him. He kept himself still as Alana kissed him again. She rested her forehead against his as she brushed her thumb over his bottom lip before kissing him again. She kept her mouth closed, never forcing anything else from him. With each peck though she began to feel him pressing back against her lips.

Daryl ran a hand up her side, wanting to grab her nape, the only security he had at that moment.

The sensation came then and Daryl twitched. He tried to push Alana away; he didn't want to be embarrassed anymore than he already was.

Alana knew what he was trying to do. She stood back flatly on her feet, resting her head against his chest and allowed her hands to fall to his shoulders. But she continued to press her body against his. She could feel him against her. Could feel as every small movement he made only added to his frustration.

Alana remained there against him until she could feel the calmness come over him again. She stepped away from him then, moving to grab her things. When she approached him he was still against the door. He looked defeated, but Alana could see a lightness in his shoulders at the same time. She came up to him, resting hand against his chest. Even under the layers of clothing she could still feel the pounding. She knew the best thing for her to do at the moment was to not look at him; to allow him some sort of barrier.

"I want this," Daryl heard her say into the silence between them.

**Bam! Did I deliver or what this chapter haha. **

**So tell me, tell me. Alana's made her move, what should Daryl's move be? **


	54. Chapter 54

**Sorry for the delay! Going to go ahead and post this chapter for you all even though it isn't very long. Didn't want to keep you guys waiting (: **

**This chapter is pretty much meant to set things up for coming chapters since we're now getting close to my next arc for the story. I would have written a full chapter, but that would have likely taken another week to accomplice, so this will have to do for the time being. Next chapter will be back to normal length. **

**Updates might become a bit sporadic since Uni is starting back up, but I'll try to get a chapter out every week or so. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And to mrskaz, Daryl was heading to take a shower and so that's why he had those clothes in hand at the time. Carol is still of course catering to him, but as we've seen, Lori is actually stepping in and stealing her thunder haha. Carol is still doing all those little things for Daryl, but hasn't tried anything sneaky because she doesn't know Daryl's lying to her. Feel free to message me with any other questions you have (: **

For the two of them the remainder of the day was like a fading memory. If asked, Alana would not have been able to say how she had found herself in the tower one moment and then in the gym the next. Daryl could not recall how long he stood there at the door before moving to sit down. The rest of that day was like blinking from one event to the next. They would think of doing something and then the next thing they knew, they were doing that exact thing. There was no in between, only one thing after another.

Alana had stayed behind after the film was over to help put things away, although afterwards she couldn't recall what all she had done exactly. Daryl had chosen to stay up in the guard tower till evening came.

At dinner there was a lighter atmosphere within the group. Alana almost enjoyed it—not even being bothered by Carol's constant presence—but she couldn't shake the discomfort that resided in her knee and shoulder. A cold front must have come in; the entire day had been much colder than usual and as the sun began to go down a chilled wind picked up. Alana could feel it in her bones. As she had walked to and from the guard tower it was like she could feel the cold wind blow right through her bones. She found herself growing tired. The coldness made her drowsy and the ache from the pain drained her energy.

As everyone was finishing up with dinner Maggie walked over to where Alana sat and asked if she wanted hot chocolate. The younger woman gave her a reminiscent smile, thinking back to that night when they sat together and drank from their mugs. When Carl saw what Maggie was doing in the kitchen he quickly alerted everyone to her actions. And just like that hot chocolate was on the menu for dessert. There were no marshmallows though, and Alana could see it on Maggie's face that she suddenly missed Patricia. Her face lifted when she returned and sat back down with her father and Glenn.

At the warm smile she gave Glenn, Alana almost dared to look over to Daryl.

When he had come down from the guard tower he was unreadable. He looked as he had looked on any other day. Alana supposed that was a good thing. But then again it could be a bad thing. All she knew was that she'd find out the verdict of the day that night.

The group was preparing for bed but Alana had returned to the cafeteria to refill her bottles of water. She was going to take some pain medication; she needed no help with falling asleep, but could do without the ache in her bones.

Michonne and Andrea had come back into the cafeteria. They were sitting at a table, legs splayed out on the floor. Andrea held onto a small water canteen. The two looked over to Alana as she came in. Back in the kitchens she could hear someone moving about. Axel came out with three mugs filled with more hot chocolate. Andrea undid the cap on the canteen and poured out a clear liquid.

"Hershel likes to stick to a schedule," Andrea told Alana as she passed the canteen around the table.

Alana laughed at the three of them. She declined the offer to sit and drink with them, holding up her bottle of medication. Heading to the kitchens, Alana filled her empty water bottle. When she turned to leave Michonne had already gulped her hot chocolate down. She dropped the mug into the sinks and walked along with Alana out of the cafeteria.

As they came out into the cellblock Daryl was just heading up the stairs.

"Night," Michonne, catching Alana's attention. As Alana commented back she was already heading off towards her own cell, back to her. With a quick glance around Alana began heading to the stairs.

From the corner of her eye Alana could see Carol already in her cell, sitting and folding something up. The woman was always folding stupid clothes. Alana kept her head down as she passed Daryl's cell even though there was no need. She was glad those sheets were there. A few of the others had adopted the idea and put sheets up as well. Alana hadn't; being on the second level and at the end she saw no reason for needing the sheets for privacy.

Alana changed her clothing at her own slow pace and then lied down. She stared off towards the wall, a small lantern nearby. There really was no point in staying up; if Daryl did come by he surely wouldn't do so this early into the night.

Before she fell asleep, regret over her actions flooded her thoughts. And if Daryl didn't come before morning that regret would remain.

WDWDWDWD

The last thing Daryl wanted was to go into her cell. He was still reeling from that afternoon. And no matter how often her words repeated in his head they did no good to ease his anxiety. If anything, they made things worse. It would have all been much better and easier for him if she hadn't said anything. If she had just left. Given up. It was no longer a denial to himself, he did want to be with her and to a certain extent he knew that she wanted…something to do with him. Daryl just hadn't been ready to hear her voice it in the manner she did.

He did fall in and out of sleep a few times during the night; though he knew there was no use in it, Daryl lied there trying to reason with himself to not go into Alana's cell. When the final shift began he found himself sitting up. He didn't have a clue what he was going to do, but in a strange way that seemed like the best plan. To not have a plan.

Alana had fallen asleep with her small lantern on; it gave off less light than one of those little keychain torches. She had rolled over in her sleep, facing the wall. Her form made a tiny bump under the blankets. The scene before him told Daryl that she hadn't expected him to show up. Or that she had given up on waiting for him.

He preferred it this way though. Her being asleep. Made things easier on him. Daryl knelt on the floor before the mattresses, doing his best to pull the blankets back without waking Alana. He knew her well enough to know that there was no way he wouldn't wake her.

She had felt the blankets being pulled back and Alana knew right then that Daryl was there. She stayed curled up the way she was, not flinching in the slightest when Daryl lied down behind her; he wrapped an arm around her waist.

He did nothing else after that, only lied there with her. And fell asleep, not thinking, not caring, about the morning.

WDWDWDWD

Her watch said it was 6:17AM. She had been lying there watching the minutes tick by for the past twenty odd minutes. Alana knew that Daryl was awake. Moment he had opened his eyes and realization hit him, Alana felt him pull back from her. And then he had stopped just as suddenly. She knew in some way it was a relief to Daryl that she wasn't facing him.

Alana could feel the tension in Daryl release eventually. It was then that she decided to speak.

"You should probably go now."

Daryl didn't say anything to her. He sat up slowly, pulling himself over to the side and pacing his feet on the floor. He grabbed his boots and started putting them on. When he looked back behind him he saw Alana had sat up, pulling the blankets back around her. One side of her hair stuck up in the air in random directions from the pillow. Daryl pointed at his own head and Alana lowered hers, trying to rub down the wild hairs. She was close enough, if he wanted he could just reach out to her. After what she had said, it felt wrong and strange to just get up and leave now. Knowing that his better judgment wasn't always better, Daryl braced one hand on the mattress and reached out to her with the other, his fingers finding their place on Alana's nape. He kissed her cheek at first and then stilled himself before quickly turning to her lips. He pulled her to him and held onto the kiss. Knowing he could allow himself to go no further, Daryl pulled back.

There was no need to tell her that he would see her later that day. Or that he'd see her again in the evening.

They both knew things were changing once again, starting with that morning.

He came to her cell every night afterwards, staying till the morning when he could. Some nights they would both take shifts, back to back, and would stay up in the guard tower together. In the mornings they'd pass each other in the halls. During the day they'd pass each other in the halls. It came to a point where it was Daryl that would lead Alana into the office. His actions were still few, but he found himself holding onto her more and daring to kiss her first. They were still innocent kisses though. Less than two weeks had gone by after all.

In that time things seemed to suddenly speed up within the prison.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl's muscles had grown taut when Alana warned him that Rick would be sending a group out within the week, if the weather was willing. Rick would be going with her as part of the group and he had told Alana that he wanted Daryl to be in charge while they were gone.

The two of them sat in the guard tower. She had had the second shift. Daryl had come out when it was time for his watch. Alana stayed behind to tell him the news.

Daryl asked her where Rick intended for the group to go.

"He wants to go back towards the farm, check and make sure no one's been through. I suggested moving some of the abandoned cars into the road before we head back. Then, if we go back and check later, we'll know if someone's come through since they'll have to move the cars." Alana swiveled side to side in the chair next to Daryl. "He liked the idea. Said we should do the same thing over at the country club. Set things up so we'll be able to tell if others come through."

"When he plans on doing that?"

Alana sighed. "Well, if the plan is to simply get in and out, no supply gathering, should take less than a day each. We'll do the farm first, country club a day or two later."

"And then?"

"Then we start checking the other roads that lead here. There's got to be a sign, a road sign, that lists this prison. We need to look for them, knock them down or something. Anyone driving by sees those signs…"

Daryl huffed. They had a good thing here at the prison, no need to keep wandering off. If Rick was so paranoid about others finding them, all they need do is set up a barrier. With all his wanting to go out and explore this brave new world they were bound to run across others. Daryl preferred staying right where they were.

The words came whispering back into his head though. The words Randall had said.

"I'll go with ya on the second run then," Daryl told Alana. And for Rick's sake he better keep Alana within eyesight during the first, he thought.

**I know, very short, but this chapter is pretty much just filler since I chose to post it now instead of waiting till I was able to write the other half. I had much more intended for this chapter, but will just have to push it back to the next one. And as mentioned within the story, things are going to pick up, action-wise. We've got a new arc about to start. It may be one some of you are familiar with, may be one of my own creation. It's secret (: **


	55. Chapter 55

**So I felt like writing this quickly and posting it so you can all have something a little extra since I have no idea how often I'll be able to post new chapters after this week. Hopefully it'll still be about every week or so. If need be, I can always start posting shorter chapters so that you guys aren't left hanging waiting for a new material. **

**Anyways, last part of this chapter was a tough one to write, won't tell you why here, spoilers (: But I'm sure you'll all enjoy it. **

**Panda-sama Soto: The guard tower is just to the side of the entrance and has a clear view all around the prison and of the fields. There's more towers, but since that one is so close to the entrance and C-Block it's the only one they use. **

**Velvetemr73: yup, Daryl and his baby steps. **

**Mrskaz453: Slow dance indeed! Even when he does make progress, as small as it may seem to us, it's all a very big deal for Daryl. **

**Leyshla Gisel: Thanks!**

**LadyLecter47: He's like the brave little toaster! **

**JesseGlennFan: Hell, I don't think even Daryl knows when he's going to make his move lol.**

**Gray12: Thanks!**

**Hollz: Here's more!**

**Emberka-2012: Yeah he was pretty much going crazy last time she went out without him. **

The next day Rick told the group of his plan for the next outing. Himself, Alana, Michonne, and T-Dog would be going out, back towards the farm. It would only be for the day. They would do the minimalist of checks and move cars onto the road. Rick told them of his plan go on a second run, back to the country club to do the same thing with cars. He assured everyone that they would wait at least two days before sending the other group out. A small relief could be felt amongst everyone; at least the groups would be going to familiar places.

The relief was not felt by Daryl though. He sat at the table with Dale, eating breakfast. Carol had already gotten up to begin cleaning the dishes. When it came time for the second group to volunteer Daryl wasted no time in raising his hand, although he lazily held it in the air. Along with himself and Alana, Glenn and Axel would be going along.

Rick was telling those who volunteered the overall plan of both outings; what they were to do, what the plan would be if they encountered walkers. Or other humans. It was all things Daryl already knew. Didn't need any reminding. He saw as Rick would look over to Alana with a nod sometimes, her acknowledgment his backing. He finished then, but the silence drew Daryl's attention. He looked back up over to Rick. The man hung his head slightly, still staring at Alana. Rick then looked to Lori and Daryl followed suit. Her face gave away that she knew what he was about to say. She did not look happy about it.

"Been looking at the maps. There's a town nearby. Isn't big, but I think it's worth checking out."

"What exactly do you consider 'nearby'?" Axel asked, slouching in his chair while he stabbed at his plate of eggs.

"'Bout thirty miles."

"That'd take the entire day," Dale said. "More likely two."

Daryl tuned out the conversation that followed, doing his best to not drag Alana from the cafeteria and demand to know why she didn't tell him of this ahead of time. Of course she already knew Rick was going to say this. He ran everything by her. She knew Rick wanted to send her thirty miles out. And how could he get himself into that group when he was to be in the prior one? He wouldn't be surprised if Rick said he'd be going; that'd mean Daryl would have to stay at the prison and babysit everyone else.

He fumed quietly for the day, waiting for the chance that evening to question Alana. There had to be some way that he could make her talk Rick out of going out so far. But Alana had already tried talking the man out of it. She attempted using Rick's family against him, but he wouldn't hear it. He was set on the belief that they needed to know what was out there. And the ceaseless case that they needed supplies. There could be gasoline in that town. Could be clothing stores. A pharmacy. There were so many things that they would need, if not now then later.

And Alana had to agree. Sooner or later they would run out of supplies. They needed everything they could find. But she kept the plan from Daryl, knowing it would be a task to keep him from going off on Rick. She actually dreaded that evening, knowing he'd have words to exchange with her. So she kept to the greenhouse for the morning before retreating to the guard tower to sit with Andrea. She helped Hershel collect the greens that were ready for picking and the potatoes that were ready to be pulled out. One good thing about the cold was that food kept longer. Up in the guard tower she listened as Andrea vented about not being allowed to go out on the runs.

"I told him to not let you go on the runs," Alana told her when she was given the chance to speak.

Andrea turned in her chair. "What?" she asked, head slightly cocked to the side.

"I told him you were good with the rifle and that you're the best person to be up here after me. That's why he's been telling you to come up here during runs." Alana looked down to the few others that were walking about outside the prison. "Any other one of them would freeze up here if something came down that road we weren't ready for. And half of them would get knocked on their asses from shooting that thing off." Andrea smirked. "Face it, you, me, Michonne…Daryl, we're the strongest. We've adapted."

"And Rick?" Andrea asked.

"He's trying to adapt the world. Means good. Means to protect this group, but he needs us to push him in the right direction."

Andrea scoffed. "And sending you guys out to that town is the right direction?"

"I don't want to agree, but he's right. We need to know what's out there. And we need supplies. Nothing is going to last, so we need to gather as much as we can." Alana told her of needing to search the roads for any signs that list the prison so they can knock them down. "Who knows, it's been a while now. Maybe Randall's group has moved on. But there could still be others."

"What if someone does find us?"

Alana stared down at Daryl for a second as he walked into the prison. "Hope that they mean us no harm. And if they do, we take them out from up here."

A silence fell between them after that. They watched opposite sides of the prison, calling out in dull tones when they spotted three walkers. One had appeared near the road while the other two came out from the woods behind the prison. The two at the back seemed to have not seen movement at the prison; they walked along the edge of the woods until eventually disappearing again. When the third one finally reached the fences Alana headed down to take care of it.

When she reached the bottom, she saw Daryl walk ahead of her to the fences, axe in hand. T-Dog opened the fences while Dale drew the walker's attention. Not wanting to be caught by him when he was done, Alana turned in the opposite direction and headed into the prison.

She was rather proud of herself for being able to avoid Daryl the rest of the day until dinner. And even then she didn't have to worry about him making a scene. When it came time to sleep, Alana grabbed her toiletries bag and headed for the restrooms. She had stayed behind to talk with her outing group. None of them would have watch duties for the next two days, to ensure they were well rested. Each had their assigned task for the run. When the meeting was over the others had already gotten into bed. Alana grabbed the lantern from her cell and went to the restrooms.

On her way out she could see the shadow being thrown on the floor from her lantern outside the door. Daryl stood there, arms crossed and his head down. His lips were in a thin line. Alana knew this would not begin well for her. With only the briefest of looks her way, Daryl stalked off, turning down the halls until they came to the office. He didn't bother to hold the door open for her or to close it. He went straight for the couch and sat down, arms resting on his knees as he hung his head.

Alana closed the door quietly and turned the lantern as low as it would go. She set it on the floor before the couch. For a moment she stood there, unsure if she should dare to sit with him or remain standing. She chose the latter.

"I don't want ya going out to that town," Daryl told her. "It ain't safe."

"You don't want me going anywhere unless you're going too," Alana said, but Daryl only shook his head.

"Told Wilhelm I'd protect ya. Can't do that if I'm stuck here." He felt like he had said this before. He had. The situation was old already and he knew that every time she was sent out that he'd protest it if he wasn't going with her. It would never get easier.

"I know," Alana said, sitting on the floor before him and scratching at her head. The tension could be felt in the space in between them. "But you need to get over this." Daryl looked down at her with a knitted brow. "This isn't about Wilhelm anymore. You just need to trust me. I'm not Carol, I'm not weak." When Daryl said nothing, she continued. "I don't know what else to say to you. I was doing just fine before finding this group. I may have had Wilhelm, but he didn't _smother_ me. Protecting me doesn't mean you get to control what I do."

What she said was right, but Daryl still had no clue how to handle things. The only experience he had with caring for others was Merle. And when it had come to Merle, Daryl had had to practically treat him like a child. Dragging him from the station after posting his bail, cleaning up the mess he'd make when his body turned against him from the onslaught of drugs in his system. Sweeping up the shards of glass and anything else that happened to be in his path when the buzz began to wear off.

Alana pulled him from his thoughts, saying, "I'm going to bed." The look she gave him as she stood up told him it was his choice whether or not he followed after her.

He remained behind in the office, thinking and then not thinking. What was there for him to do? Nothing really. Alana wasn't Merle; she didn't need a shadow following her around fixing everything. He had never really been concerned when Merle would go with the group into Atlanta. But with Alana, he couldn't stop worrying, even though he did know that she could take care of herself. Thing was that he didn't want her to have to take care of herself. Why should she, when he was there?

Daryl kept telling himself that he had managed to get through her going on the previous run without him. And she came back fine. He could get through this one too. Still worried about the town though. For a moment he seriously considered sabotaging Alana, thinking of ways he could cause enough harm to her knee to keep her from going to the town. Anything to get Rick to decide against sending her. Perhaps on sending anyone out to that town.

She already had enough scars because of him though and Daryl became sick with guilt and disgust for thinking of it all. He'd rather injure himself.

Returning to his cell, Daryl lied down, still thinking over things. The scouting trip to the town wouldn't happen soon, he decided. He figured that he had at the least, a week, before Rick would think of taking the group out. Probably had more than a week; this trip wouldn't be something that was planned overnight. Everything about the situation would have to be perfectly planned. It'd give him enough time to come up with something.

For the time being, he had the current runs to focus on. He thought of how lucky Alana had been with the number of times she'd gone out on runs. She may have been worn and torn, but she was still alive.

Luck.

It never lasted forever.

The panic and dread set into him. What if that luck ran out and he wasn't there? What if she didn't come back? He had never thought of the possibility of Wilhelm dying, and yet he had died. It had been possible.

Daryl no longer wanted to be in that cell alone. He crept out quietly and found his way to Alana's. She was lying against the wall under the covers. When he came in she rolled over and at seeing him sat up. He had already taken his boots off back in his own cell; he sat down on the mattress. He lied down with her and didn't leave till the morning.

They didn't discuss her going on the runs again. While Alana wanted to at least tell him that everything would be okay, that she'd keep an eye on her back, the way he looked at her now stopped her from saying anything. It was like he was trying to remember her, to save everything to memory. It was that look that came when you knew you'd never see that particular thing ever again. That you might never see it again.

Alana caught him looking at her that way throughout the next day. She was preoccupied for most of the day with preparing for the outing. When she was free, she really had nothing to do since shifts had been given to those who weren't going. As the end of the day came she and the others prepared Shane's car. It had been Alana who said they should just take the one vehicle; if Rick was wanting to venture out further then they'd have to conserve fuel. The group prepared their packs and picked out their weapons of choice. Everything was placed in the car. All that would be left in the morning would be to put their shoes on and head out.

She and Rick remained up later than others as they went over the plan one last time in the cafeteria. Rick had asked Daryl to sit with them; he wanted him to know what their alternate plans would be if anything happened and to also let him know what to do if anything happened back at the prison.

When things were over Alana headed for her cell. She looked around a bit before lying down. A few hours must have gone by and she was woken by someone getting up for the shift change. She rose and headed downstairs to use the restroom. On her return she found Daryl in her cell, standing beside the mattress. He stood there rubbing at his mouth for a moment before reaching out for her hand and leading her out from the cell and into his own.

The lantern he kept wasn't on and the white sheets allowed little light from the moon in. Alana reached a hand out to rest against the wall, to gather a bearing on her surroundings. But she felt herself being pushed against the wall with an unsure hand on her waist. The one that held her hand moved to her shoulder and then nape. Daryl pressed himself against her and rested his forehead against hers. Alana grabbed onto the hem of his shirt. He was wearing one of his now not so rare long sleeved shirts.

"Ya better come back tomorrow," he whispered and Alana nodded slightly against him. "If ya don't…" He kissed her, hand squeezing at her side. When he felt her pushing back against him he continued, daring to open his mouth just the slightest. He did his best to not tense against her when he felt her release his shirt and raise her arms, tilting her head further up and gripping onto his neck. Panic attempted to root itself in him when Alana shifted her weight, causing him to rest a leg between hers. He could feel her raise a foot just off the floor; the friction it caused between them created a sound in the back of her throat. She opened her eyes as he pulled slightly away from her, but Alana grabbed at his face, holding him there as she stared up at him. With caution in her, she turned her head to the side and pulled Daryl back. He kissed at her neck, pausing after every other one to breathe her in. He waited a moment after pushing her shirt up for a reaction, but she kept holding onto him and so he rested his hand against her skin. The panic rose again when she moved against him and he could feel himself move against her. But she was the one that pulled away. For a second he prepared himself to see any sort of negative look on her face right before she left his cell. Instead though she pushed him back, towards the mattress. Alana came and stood in front of him, her back to the mattress. Without making eye contact with him, she sat down, moving to the center while pulling at his wrist to follow her. Pulling the covers over herself, she guided Daryl to lie down. Alana reached out for him, having him rest above her. With time his hands moved over her with more certainty and he found himself pressing against her, his hips now resting between her thighs. He pressed his lips against hers to quiet the small noises she made. She brushed against his lips and when he didn't pull away she pushed his mouth open.

Every movement was slow and cautious. Alana lied there and allowed him to feel her. She kept her arms wrapped around his neck or back, giving him full control. The heat between them slowly faded and afterwards Daryl moved away from her. He stepped out from the cell, returning shortly. He sat back down on the mattress and Alana scooted over to the edge. He looked behind him to see she had removed the chain with the two rings on it and was hooking it round his neck. She wrapped her arms around his chest, resting against him.

Daryl grasped the rings in his palm, feeling the warmth they created.

He held her against him until morning came. They both awoke a few minutes before the alarm on Alana's watch went off. She turned it off, giving them those few minutes to themselves. Both stood; Alana waited as Daryl readied himself. She still needed to go back to her own cell and change. Daryl followed after her, turning his back while she changed. She then came forward and rested her hand over the rings on his chest. She picked them up and tucked the chain away under his shirt. Daryl tilted her chin up and chastely kissed her.

He knew he was potentially setting himself up for disappointment by asking, but at the same time he needed something.

"Tonight?"

Alana looked up to Daryl and gave him a laughing smile. Never once had he been the one to ask.

"Tonight," she told him.

**Let's give Daryl another round of applause for achieving a few more baby steps! **

**And now, tell me tell me: think anything will happen out on the road? Or maybe it'll be all easy as pie for them? Perhaps Daryl will have issues back at the prison? **


	56. Chapter 56

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed! Since this chapter runs long, let's jump right into it! **

**Enjoy! **

The group was seen off in the same manner as the previous times. Daryl stood back and watched as the others gave their best to those leaving. Rick approached him, arm stretched out.

"We'll be back soon. We'll radio when we're on our way—not sure if the signal will carry, but we'll keep trying till we're in range."

Daryl nodded. "I'll keep the road clear."

The group got into the car. Michonne sat up front in the car with Alana, with Rick and T-Dog in the back. Dale stood at the driver's side, speaking with Alana. He tapped the side of the car and stepped back, walking over to the gates. Daryl stood with him, his eyes glancing over Alana and the others as they drove past. Not everyone remained outside to watch the car until it disappeared, but Daryl did. He stood there at the gates watching until it was engulfed by the trees. He was closing the final gate with Dale when Andrea stepped out from the guard tower above, shouting down to them.

Walker at the back.

Daryl sighed, yanking the gate back open. "I'll get the stupid thing." He shouted up at Andrea, wanting to know where the walker was. She pointed towards the left. It wasn't up to the fences yet. With one last look back down the road he opened the other two gates with the help of Dale and stalked off, following the fenceline.

The day had only begun and he already wanted it to be over with.

He was given some relief that he wasn't the only male stuck there back at the prison. Not that it was much relief though. Axel had borrowed the small DVD player of Alana's and was busy watching a film in his cell. Dale was keeping an eye on Carl. Hershel was up in the guard tower with Andrea and Glenn was tending to the horses with Maggie. Even Lori and Carol were busying themselves. Lori was in the greenhouse tending to the vegetables and Carol was helping her. Everyone had something to do. No one had to be told to get busy on something. Daryl found himself on more than one occasion stopping and standing in place, unsure of what to do. It felt foolish to wander about and checking on everyone, making sure they were doing what needed to be done.

Not wanting to go back into C-Block, just being in there for a few seconds and he could vividly recall what had occurred that previous night, Daryl remained outside for most of the day. When an hour had gone by without a walker sighting he gave the okay for Glenn and Maggie to take the horses out into the field. Everything seemed to be going well and so he went inside to find some food.

As he approached the cafeteria he could hear voices, familiar voices. He silenced his steps and moved closer, listening. Lori said something that he couldn't fully pick out, but it was Carol's response that he was more concerned about.

"Well he shouldn't be putting so much on her shoulders. Don't understand why he does it, there's no reason for him to rely on her for everything. What about Daryl? Or Glenn or T-Dog? Isn't as if she's the only capable person here." Carol sighed. She and Lori were peeling and chopping up potatoes. "And always sending her out with the groups? Don't you think she'll get tired? What if someone gets hurt?"

Lori was slowly peeling the potatoes. Not because she was clumsy with the peeler. It was taking strength to think over every word in her head before speaking them. After finding Daryl's shirt in her cell, her perception of Alana had changed. She already had no reason to question Alana's closeness to Rick, what with what she had done with Shane, but now also being aware that Alana and Daryl were hiding something…and with the way Carol was acting…if things got out it would not end well. Lori wanted nothing to do with it. It wasn't her business, it didn't involve her. But she also didn't want to see things blow up right before her. People were actually beginning to breathe around here, allowing themselves to have comfort. She wouldn't just stand back and wait for these three to ruin it.

"She wouldn't go out there if she wasn't fully ready. Besides, it's Rick's decision. Each time they've gone out, Alana's brought everyone back. And with Rick out there…I'm just glad he has Alana with him." Lori hung her head for a moment, staring down at the pile of potato skins. "She's a better person to have at his side than Shane was."

"You don't worry about him being out there with her?" Lori looked up questioningly to Carol. "I mean…" Carol shrugged her shoulders, her brow rising slightly with concern. "We all know how she was with Daryl. And ever since he told her there was nothing, she's always with Rick now." Lori asked how she knew what (if anything) Daryl had said to Alana. "Oh, he told me, a while back." Carol repeated what he had said to her as if repeating a recipe she had saved to memory. "He's just looking out for her because of Wilhelm. Feels bad about the whole thing, you know? But he's a good man, so he's just trying to make sure she stays in line."

Daryl didn't want to hear anything more. He turned back around and moved down the hall. He didn't see as Lori came out from the cafeteria to see his retreating back.

She turned her head as she walked to the cellblock, staring at the spot where Daryl had been. In the cafeteria, she had been sitting facing the entrance. If Daryl had come by, Lori would have seen him.

He heard them. He must have heard them.

Grabbing a coat, Lori headed outside with a basket, to collect the dried clothes from the day before. Daryl was sitting outside in one of the chairs, looking out towards Maggie and Glenn with the horses. As she pulled the clothes down and folded them, Lori would look over to Daryl, trying to read him. He sat still in the chair, not looking very relaxed. The walkie was on the ground beside his foot.

She passed him and headed back inside to drop off the clothes in everyone's cells. Lori shooed Carol away when she tried to help, offering to take the upstairs. She had begun to show a little, a small bump poking out from her frame, but the last thing she wanted to do was remain idle. Lori headed upstairs, moving to each cell and dropping the clothes off. She set Daryl's clothes on the edge of the bed and left. Inside Alana's cell, she placed the clothes against the wall. Turning around, she looked down at the mattress and the disheveled covers. She was trying to see if Daryl's shirt was still there. She saw nothing, but could note how the pillow didn't rest flatly on the mattress.

Coming out from the cell, Lori looked up to see Daryl approaching. His eyes lingered for a moment on the entrance to Alana's cell. He went into his own without a word. When Lori passed, he was bent over, going through a pile of his belongings. Lori stopped, standing outside. She looked down below to see no one. Axel's crackling laugh could be heard down the walkway coming from his cell.

"Have they radioed?" Lori asked Daryl. He shook his head. He said they were probably out of range.

He looked like he was just waiting for someone to say the wrong thing to him. Lori kept walking without another word.

The sooner the group returned the better, she thought.

She left, going back downstairs.

WDWDWDWD

She kept staring at the small watch on her wrist, looking down at it to see the time go by. It was almost three hours past noon. Lori walked over to the garage; Dale had told her Carl went in there after Maggie and Glenn. She found him in there with the two. Maggie was showing him how to clean the coats on the horses. Satisfied that Carl was within eyesight, Lori headed out. She wanted to lie down for a bit. She had been moving around, always on her feet, the entire day thus far. Half of it wasn't necessary. But seeing that faraway look on Daryl's face, that tension that rose up in him when the scouting group was mentioned, Lori felt that someone needed to keep an eye on him. And Carol. She needed to make sure Carol didn't say anything unsavory about Alana within earshot of Daryl. It was evident to her that Daryl had indeed heard their discussion earlier; the way he would stare at Carol's back whenever she walked by gave it away. And the way he said as little to Lori as possible when she tried speaking with him.

The thought continued to run through her mind; whether to speak to Daryl or not. She had enough sense to _not_ speak with Carol. Of the three, she'd rather talk to Alana. But talking with her would not solve the dilemma with Carol. She couldn't even recall the last time those two women had said a word to each other. She dreaded the reaction, but Lori knew if she were to speak to anyone, it'd have to be Daryl. At the center of all this was him. He had to be the one to sort things out.

When she finally decided that she had to speak with Daryl, Lori was then tasked with figuring out how and what to say. She checked her watch again. It had to be today. Now. While Alana was gone. Lori knew there were clothes to be washed; people had gotten into the habit of changing their bedding too and those had to be washed in the pots one at a time.

Lori lingered about, waiting for Carol to grab the baskets of dirty clothes and sheets. She headed into the kitchen, grabbing a couple packets of crackers and filling a water bottle. Hearing noise from the cellblock drew her attention and she let her feet guide her. Axel was watching another film. He had gone out and done a walk along the fence and taken out a walker. So he felt entitled to another film. He was downstairs though, instead of up in his own cell. Lori peered around and instantly saw him sitting in the cell she shared with Rick and Carl. He had brought a chair in and sat on it while Carl was laid out on the mattresses. Both of them were laughing at the small screen of the DVD player.

Lori walked up to them, craning down to see the screen. "What's going on in here?" she asked Carl. She wasn't exactly pleased that Axel had just invited himself into their cell, but took into account the fact that he had brought a chair.

"It's that _Speed Racer_ movie," Carl told her. "Alana's." He and Axel laughed again at a chimpanzee and a little boy on the screen.

"Did she say you could borrow that?" Lori asked. Carl began saying that she did, that Axel had asked. But Lori stopped him. "The movie. Did you ask her if you could borrow the movie?" Carl avoided his mother's gaze. "Next time you ask permission first."

As she sat down, Lori stole a glance to her watch. She rested on the mattress against the wall and opened a packet of crackers. All she had to do was sit and wait.

It wasn't long before Carol came by, saying she was going to get started on the wash. Lori was taking a sip from her bottle; she held a hand up.

"I'm not feeling too well. Stomach's acting up." Carol made a noise that sounded like concern. "Think you could get Maggie to help you?"

"Of course hun. Get some rest, you've been hopping around everywhere all day."

Carol moved along the line of cells to one that was empty save for some boxes that were scattered across the floor. They had once held supplies from storage or food items, but now they had the names of each group member written on them. Michonne had made the suggestion they each get their own box; make it easier to sort through everyone's clothing. Rick, Lori, and Carl shared one box, Glenn and Maggie another, while everyone else had their own. At least now there was no fussing over trying to figure out if someone's clothing in the corner of their cell was clean or dirty. And on the clotheslines set up outside, each person had their own little section so when collecting the dried items it was easy to make separate piles. Because Lori, Carol, and Maggie were the only ones who ever did the washing, they had quickly memorized where each person's clothing went on the lines.

She knew Carol would be out there for a while and so Lori sat and waited, vaguely paying attention to the glowing screen of the DVD player. At some point Daryl came walking through the cellblock to the other side, to the hallways. When he was out of sight, Lori waited a few beats and then stood up. Acting as if she was heading to the restroom. She walked slowly, a hand on her stomach, until she was down the hallways and then picked up speed. Upon reaching the hallway that led to the restrooms, Lori stopped and waited, throwing a look over her shoulders every now and then. Daryl walked out into view, stopping when he saw her. Lori pushed herself off from the wall where she leaned. She looked over her shoulder once more as she approached him.

His brow was scrunched up and he bit at his lip. Daryl could see that Lori was thinking over what to say. After hearing her and Carol speaking earlier, he didn't care for any damn thing she had to say to him now. But the woman stood right there in the middle of the hall, blocking him. And he didn't think it wise to try and shove past her.

"I trust her out there with Rick," Lori then finally blurted out, her hands slightly wringing before her. A look passed between them, both knowing that Daryl had heard what was said in the cafeteria. "But you need to take care of things back here. I don't know what is or isn't going on, or with who, I don't care. This group is finally getting back on its feet, so whatever it is, you need to settle it. You heard what Carol said in there. And I don't care if you're on her side with that. I'm telling you, you fix it. Stop it. This isn't worth tearing the group apart over."

"Everything alright?"

Daryl and Lori both looked up to see Dale standing there at the start of the hall. He glanced from one to the other, that cautious look in his eyes. Damn woman, Daryl thought. Her rambling kept either of them from hearing Dale coming towards them.

Lori rubbed at her arm and made a quick retreat away from them. "Everything's fine." She cursed herself inwardly. Once she had begun speaking she was unable to stop. The plan had blossomed in her mind as she said the words; to act as if she didn't know whether or not Daryl was connected to either woman in some way. And then she had thought it even better to suggest he was in cahoots with Carol against Alana.

Daryl tried to follow after her. Not to speak with her, just to get away from Dale. He knew the old man would try to say something. And sure enough, he did. And Daryl wasn't fast enough to get away. But what he said had Daryl realizing that Dale had only heard fragments of what Lori told him. He must have heard her telling him to fix things and that was what had stuck out to him. Dale trailed off on how Lori had been moving around like a busy bee all day. "She's just nesting is all," the old man told him.

Daryl was once again lost in confusion. The things some of these people said, he thought.

"Nesting," Dale said, as if it was something the whole world knew about. "Pregnant women, at some stage they start nesting. Fussing over everyone. And Lori's been doing it for a while now. Just last week I was trying to help her outside with the laundry and she sent me off on a wild goose chase for a bottle of Tylenol. She had it in her pocket the whole time." Dale chuckled, patting Daryl on the back as he walked around him to head down the highway. "Whatever _goose chase_ she set for you, trust me, just go along with it. Never make a pregnant woman angry son."

Daryl kept his line of sight aimed away from the cells as he passed back through cellblock, although he could feel Lori watching his back. He headed outside where Hershel sat just by the doors, holding onto the walkie for Daryl. The relief from Dale not knowing what the hell as going on mattered not a single bit when compared to what Lori had said to him. She didn't know one way or the other if he had anything to do with Alana or Carol, but she _knew_ there was something going on. Woman wasn't nesting, she was watching. And listening.

He needed to talk to Alana. They needed to get Lori to mind her own fucking business. Why the hell couldn't she just say something to Carol? She was already her little buddy, cooking food and washing clothes together. Daryl didn't have the patience to deal with this crap.

"Still nothing," Hershel told him, drawing his attention. He was fiddling with the controls on the walkie.

Daryl reached a hand out to take the walkie from him. He muttered about trying it up in the tower. He stalked up to it, taking the steps with heavy feet. Andrea was still up there. Not bothering to even say something to her, he walked through the one door leading to the stairs and out the other that led to the wraparound. He stood out there and radioed Rick.

"Where the hell are y'all?" he asked, bypassing any courtesy. He stood in silence, waiting for the crackle of dead air to give way to Rick's voice. Or Alana's. "Fuckin' shit," he grumbled, reaching for the door to go back in.

"Still haven't heard from them?" Andrea asked while looking around the fields. Daryl felt his grip on control of the group slip just a bit further away. Even Andrea had heard about being unable to reach the others and her ass had been up here the whole time. "Walker," she added casually, spotting one at the back of the prison, just popping out from the woods. Daryl adjusted his crossbow on his shoulder as he prepared to head down the stairs. "Another walk—"

Those sudden cutoffs when people were talking. Daryl hated them.

He stepped back to look out the windows as Andrea was doing. He could see four walkers shambling out from the trees. But he knew those weren't their shadows that followed behind them. Andrea scrambled to the desk to grab the binoculars. Daryl was already rushing down the steps. As he reached the bottom and burst back out onto the concrete Andrea was shouting down to him.

"Get everyone inside!"

For a moment they stood there, staring towards the back, at the walkers. Daryl's insistent barks of commands made them begin moving. Carol shuffled away from the clotheslines, a hand held out to Daryl as he tried to get her and Hershel inside. His intention was to get them all inside. But no, the group had come outside, all standing behind the prison, daring to peek over his shoulder as he looked round the corner and back up at Andrea. She was trying to count how many had appeared. She'd hold her hand up, forming a 2 and 0. But then it would be a 3 and 0. They moved slowly, but the fact that they moved made it difficult to count them.

Daryl cursed. They couldn't head out there and start killing them. Not at least until they were sure no more would come out from the woods. But they also couldn't let them pile up on the fences or surround the prison.

"What do we do?" Dale asked, looking round the corner. The walkers weren't close yet, but still he spoke quietly. It took Daryl a few seconds to register that Dale was speaking to him.

He looked at the faces of the others. Dale, along with Hershel, Axel, and Glenn, were staring at him, calm, waiting to hear his plan. Maggie was rubbing Carol's back. Lori held Carl at her side.

Speaking to Lori, he said, "Ya three get in that car. Anything happens, get the fuck outta here." She quickly led Carl and Carol over to the nearest car, slipping in quietly. Carol's face had already turned red from her crying; Carl looked out the window to Daryl, his face stoic. In his hands he held a gun. Lori rested an axe in her lap as she sat behind the wheel. Daryl ordered Hershel and Maggie to stay on the ground; watch over the fences. If the walkers got too close, they were to distract them, keep them from all piling up on one section of the fencing.

"What about us?" Glenn asked. He almost looked hurt that he hadn't been given a job. Axel had that look on his face that meant he knew he wasn't going to like what he'd have to do.

It was rather simple, Daryl had thought. They had cars. It had worked before. Glenn and Axel got into the suburban while Daryl headed over to the truck. They could run them over and go back to finish them off. The two cars idled at the gates while Andrea kept lookout. When the number of walkers coming out from the woods lagged, she waved a hand. Hershel and Maggie slid the gates open and both cars rushed out onto the fields.

WDWDWDWD

Their attempted excursion off the road, after spotting a deer, resulted in a few scratches from branches. And no deer. Only a handful of walkers had been spotted along the drive into town. Rick had tried radioing Daryl when they stopped, but there had been no reply back. It caused the group to pause around the car. It took Rick shaking the walkie for them all to realize a noise was coming from inside. Sounded like something was loose in there. Going with hope though, Rick told them they were probably just out of range.

The hope dwindled when, on their way back, they were still unable to get a hold of the others at the prison. It completely left when the prison came into view. Along with the walkers.

Instinct told Alana to slow the car down and so she did. She could see Andrea up in the tower waving frantically at them and then pointing off behind her. A fast look at the prison grounds and Alana noted that two of the cars were missing. She looked to the other three in the car with her, all giving her a nod.

Behind the prison the other two cars were driving circles round the large group of walkers, each time those circles becoming smaller. Daryl was distracted as Glenn began honking the horn on the suburban at seeing Alana and the others coming to join them. He cursed then when he looked back out the front windshield to see Glenn was nearly about to crash into him. Stupid chinaman was too busy throwing a party over seeing Alana. Daryl swerved at the same time Glenn did, both cars going in opposite directions.

Glenn and Axel got out of the situation just fine. Daryl had the misfortune of ramming into a rather large walker. Looked like he had eaten a couple of people. Whole. It was pulled under the front wheels of the truck, but swollen limbs had become lodged between the truck's body and wheel. "Shit!" Daryl cursed, trying to throw the truck into reverse.

Only a small number of walkers were still standing. Glenn and Axel had jumped out of their car and were hurriedly trying to reach Daryl. He was trapped in the truck as walkers descended on it. As he reached for the machete on the passenger's seat Daryl felt shards of glass coming down on him. He looked back up to see a walker at what remained of the driver's window, reaching in for him. Trying to scoot to the other side it grabbed at his leg and grasped on to it. He could hear someone yell, "Down!" and then felt a wetness on his face.

Alana could be seen using the roof of her car to balance the rifle. She peeked over the scope and stared in his direction as Axel and Glenn reached him, disposing of the three other walkers still lingering round the truck. Michonne and Rick were moving through the field, checking the other walkers as they made their way to Daryl as well. T-Dog remained behind with Alana, watching the area around the car.

"Keep watch," Alana told T-Dog as she stepped down and began making her way to Daryl and the others. He nodded to her and climbed up onto the roof of the car.

She shouldered her rifle and walked with a machete in her hand, eyeing the corpses as she passed them. Rick could be heard asking what had happened. With the scene before them, it was rather evident what had happened. A herd. One that they could handle, at least. Daryl began ranting off what had taken place, beginning with Andrea spotting the walkers and finished with a finger pointed at Glenn. "Then genius here tries to kill me." The younger man had yet to stop apologizing. Daryl was about to tell him to shut it when he looked up to see Alana approaching.

The shattered glass had done a number on him. All she did was look at him. She didn't reach out and poke at the bits of glass stuck in his skin or wipe at the blood on him. "Make sure they're all dead," Alana told Rick. "We need to get those cleaned," she then said to Daryl with a nod to the numerous cuts.

She was unaware, but this was how Daryl felt so often with her. Alana led him to her car, asking T-Dog to stay back with the others as she drove off quickly to the front of the prison. She wasn't thinking at all. Everything was autopilot for her. Daryl sat as still as he could after she snapped harshly at him to not try and remove the bits of glass from his skin. She wouldn't apologize later for nearly running over Hershel's foot as she sped through the opened gates. Hadn't even realized it nearly happened. Alana pulled the car right up to the entrance to A-Block and slid out, not bothering to close the door. She walked with her head down to Daryl's side, watching as he carefully got out. Footsteps could be heard far behind them, but Alana didn't look back, leading Daryl inside and into the medical ward.

Picking out the nearest bed, she pointed for him to stand by it as she walked off to the cabinets and rows of supplies on the floor. There were some small pushcarts and she pulled one to her, putting items on it. Her steps were hurried and almost sloppy. "Did you lay in it?" she asked Daryl. "The glass?" He nodded. Alana breathed out slowly, looking over his chest. She could see the bits of glass and blood from the walker. Turning back round she walked to a corner and Daryl could hear clinking. She ordered him to remove his clothes. "Now—just do it now." Coming back, Daryl saw the bottles of alcohol in her arms; she twisted the caps off them all. At the sound of steps in the hallway Alana's head snapped up. In an instant, she was grabbing the curtained separators, placing it around the bed the best she could. Alana reached out for Daryl's arm once he had removed his top and swabbed at it before jabbing a needle in, injecting something.

"Daryl? What happened? Daryl, are you okay?" Carol asked from the entrance. Lori could be heard trying to calm her. An argument broke out between the two of them and Daryl, as the latter tried to get them to leave. He was trying to remain still as Alana gave him two more injections.

"Lori, get her out of her! Now!" Alana barked in such a harsh tone, it was frightening to know such cruelty was in her.

Retreating footsteps echoed down the hallway and Alana reached for the bottle of alcohol, not waiting a second before pouring it over Daryl. She ignored the twitches of his muscles as it stung. He turned round in spot and Alana asked where else he had been cut. Both began looking at his pants, trying to find any tears. There were none, only blood. She didn't realize at first, but she hadn't even put gloves on. Alana needed to get the bits of glass out of his skin next. As she turned to the cart, looking for what she needed, Hershel's voice came from the hall. Daryl saw as Alana rubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket before answering back. "Have to get the glass out," she told the older man. Hershel closed the doors to the ward behind him and followed after Alana who went to fetch gloves. The two returned, moving the separator so that it blocked the view from the entrance. Daryl sat as the two of them got to work on removing the bits of glass. He could see how Alana was vaguely paying attention to what Hershel was saying, explaining what had happened. She only replied when asked what medications she had already given Daryl. She listed them off.

"I'll finish up here," Alana then told Hershel once Daryl seemed to be clear. The cuts weren't large and so no stitching would be needed. "Go make sure the others aren't having strokes," she added. Hershel made the quiet suggestion that it might be best to keep Daryl there in the ward for a few hours. Alana nodded. "Keep the others out of my hair till then."

Hershel's steps died out down the hall and Alana began cleaning up the mess she had made. Daryl tried to help, but she only pushed him away, telling him to sit and rest. She pulled a chair up and held out a thermometer. He had no fever. She checked his blood pressure and it was fine.

Not knowing what else she could do, Alana sat back and waited.

Only a few minutes passed before she spoke, staring down at the floor.

"So this is what it's like huh? Those times with me, wondering if I would be okay." She covered her mouth for a moment. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just saw the walker and shot it. I wasn't thinking." Looking up at him, Alana could see the small cuts that littered his neck and arms and chest.

Daryl became uncomfortable at the glisten that appeared in her eyes while looking at him. He felt the need to somehow make things better, even though she wasn't the one that was hurt. He looked down to his arms, at the small slashes of red. "Not like I didn't have any scars before," he told her in a quiet voice. "Used to them now." He thought that would help the matter, make her feel less awful about it. But looking up at her again, Daryl could see it only made the matter worse. And then she smiled vaguely.

"I'll trade you. All of yours for mine. I think I'd rather have tiny ones. They wouldn't hurt as much."

Daryl tried to picture her with his scars and it made his stomach ill, to see all those scars on her.

"You're cold. Must be cold," Alana then began saying. "I'll go get you some clothes." She stood, rubbing her hands on the front of her pants before walking round the curtain towards the door. She grabbed for the keys that rested on a shelf, locking the doors behind her.

She must have ignored everyone because she returned quickly with an entire set of clean clothes. Setting them down on the bed Alana walked back to the door to once again lock them. Daryl changed. As he grabbed the pants at the bottom he saw the gun she had brought, its matte grey finish stark against the sheen of the aluminum cart. Sitting back down on the bed caused the frame to creak and Alana then returned to sit with him. She grabbed the thermometer, checking his temperature again. Reading the small screen on it, she nodded to herself.

"The affects usually begin right away," Alana began saying in a near monotonous voice. "Starts with the fever or aching." She made a crude circle with a finger. "Area around the source of infection starts to discolor. We can mostly tell…in an hour or so."

When that hour approached, Alana took his temperature for the last time. She held the screen out to him. 98.9*. She released a shuddered breath, putting the instrument down. "You should keep taking some of the medication," Alana told him, reminding herself of how Daryl had been with her. "We should go let the others know you're okay."

Daryl pushed himself off the bed and watched Alana clean up the last of the area around them. "Ya alright?" he asked her.

Alana nodded her head shakily. "It's not pleasant, being on this side of the worrying," she told him. She looked to the gun on the cart. "I'm going to keep two bullets. From now on."

Daryl grabbed her arm, pulling her back when she began to walk away. "The hell ya talking 'bout?"

Alana shook her head. "One hour. One fucking hour Daryl and I…" She blinked, willing her eyes to dry up. "I didn't have to watch Wilhelm die. He saved me from that. But he always prepared me for it. And I though that if…that I could handle it. But sitting here, knowing you could—I can't. I won't bury you. I won't."

Daryl's grip on her arm slackened and he allowed her to rest against him. She held onto him lightly, wary of his fresh scars. He felt a moistness on his chest and knew that she was crying.

They came to a quiet understanding, the worry that they shared about one another.

Daryl suffered through the rest of the day with Carol constantly on his case, trying to do every little thing for him. Rick was holding a meeting during dinner and he spoke of how well the situation was handled. He did his best to only mention the positive. He commended Daryl for his choice of actions. But Carol, she didn't even bother to keep her mouth closed.

"How could you be so foolish?" she asked Alana with venom in her eyes. "What if you had shot Daryl?"

Alana prepared to defend herself, but was shunted when, of all people, Daryl spoke.

His tone was dull, as if he was bored with the talk already. He ate slowly from his plate. "Y'all rather be buryin' me? Woman did what she had to."

The group was stunned to silence for a moment. Rick then said that the discussion was over. And so it was.

Daryl continued to shrug Carol off. When the group prepared for sleep that night she caught up with him on the stairs, again asking if he was okay, if there was anything he needed.

"Yeah. Leave me the fuck alone. Fuckin' tired." He kept the angry tone when he then yelled out to Alana, asking where those stupid medications were that she wanted him to take. Hearing him speak to her like that must have done something for Carol; she went to her own cell and Daryl didn't see her again.

Alana came into his cell, pushing the sheet aside with her shoulder. Daryl unbuttoned his shirt and pulled an arm out of the sleeve. Alana looked at the scrapes once over and then swabbed his arm. "Just one?" he asked when she only gave him a single injection. Alana pulled out two bottles from her pockets.

"I gave you…quite a lot earlier." Daryl realized then that he hadn't kissed her since she returned. Much as it was for himself, he did it for her too, kissing her lightly while resting a hand on her shoulder. When she asked if her would come by that night he nodded.

Just two hours had gone by before he went to her cell. It was a risk, but no amount of warning could stop him. He needed her to know everything was okay. Soon as he was under the covers with her Alana was clinging to his side. He felt her running her hand over the side of his neck, needing to feel that it was cool and not hot. Whenever he awoke from the few times he fell asleep, Alana would be feeling at his skin.

"Ain't nothing gonna happen," he told her, grabbing her hand and putting it at his side. She held onto the fabric, pulling at it. He hadn't buttoned it back up from when she gave him the injection.

A moment of panic passed over him as Alana began to move, sitting up. He held onto her as she rose and straddled him. In the dark he could see her outline above him. Her lips were cold as she brushed them over his skin. He could feel a slight sting as she kissed over the small cuts on his neck. A shudder ran through him as she darted her tongue out quickly, pushing it into one. Alana then rested her head against his, giving him a lingering kiss.

"If something ever happens…I'm going with you," she whispered to him.

**Whew! That was a long chapter! **

**What did you all thin about it? **

**Any of you catch what Alana did there at the end? **

**I shall hopefully be back in another week with a new chapter. **


	57. Chapter 57

**Leyshla Gisel: Haha yeah Alana totally took a risk doing that, but hey, it worked. **

**Emberka-2012: So right, she pretty much put it out there that she loves him. Now to see how long before they both say they love each other. **

**JesseGlennFan: Yeah! Wonder how long before they actually tell each other they love one another. **

**MegaPixiie: Yup, you caught it. She licked the wound so if he was infected, she would be infected too. **

**Mrskaz453: Yup totally right, Daryl's having to take baby steps in everything, but now that means the next step with Carol is to lash out at her. Haha, Carol is Shane 2.0 haha and yes, perhaps Lori sees this as a chance to do the right thing. She messed up with Rick and Shane, but could try to fix Alana/Daryl/Carol. And now that it's very obvious that they love one another, at some point Daryl and Alana are going to slip up and get caught. Loving each other, it's going to keep them from being at the top of their game. **

**LadyLecter47: I know! We all can't wait for Carol's downfall to happen haha. **

**Panda-samaSoto: Haha you'd demand me to bring them both back! Lori is like Tyrion! Minus being a genius haha. But yes, I could see her and Alana becoming friends. Hopefully Lori will continue to redeem herself. **

**Babycakes Nast: Thanks! Alana finally got a taste of what it's been like to be Daryl, worrying all over her. **

**Saphireblu987: Thanks so much! **

**OmgitsBlondie: LOL **

**Fire Daughter: Thanks! Sent a message explaining everything and also added it to this chapter too. **

**Manatakira: She's a total dummy head! Stupid Carol, always trying to ruin everything. **

**Guest: Yup, she totally did. Daryl's thoughts on Alana's action are mentioned in this chapter (: **

It wasn't till morning that Daryl grasped what Alana had done that night before. When she woke she rested a hand against his forehead and then causally rubbed at her arm, lightly. He quickly brought a hand up to his neck. _If he went, she was going with him._ The pile of weapons she kept were a sore sight to him now. And watching as she stood up, it was evident that Alana had stayed awake for most of the night. Waiting.

"Where you going?" he asked her when she began walking from the bed.

She turned in spot, rubbing at her eyes. "Well I could tinkle there in the corner if you so wish it," Alana told him, the sleep still heavy in her. Not waiting for a reply, Alana left. The sky had barely begun to lighten; there was no worry of being seen by the others.

Daryl remained there in bed, mixed emotions speeding through him. She had lied to him back in the medical ward, saying that he was going to be okay. She had had no knowing of that. But she had told him he would be all right. She had given him all the medication she could. And in the end she did the last thing she could to ensure things would be okay. Alana risked infecting herself when she kissed his neck.

If he was going, she was going with him.

His thoughts must have been present on his face; when Alana returned she paused and then sat on the floor next to the mattresses. She kept her head down while she thought over what to say. That or she was waiting for him to say something. Both were thinking of what to say. Daryl rose and brought his knees up under the sheets, rolling the fabric between his fingers.

"Mean what ya said last night?" he finally asked her, more quiet than he needed to be. His tone changed in his next words, bring urged from years of natural defense. "Fuckin' stupid. Didn't kill yourself when Wilhelm died, why bother now?"

Alana took her time in replying. "Yes, I meant it. Wilhelm was different. He was my brother. But…if we had still been on our own when he, died, then maybe I wouldn't be here right now. Maybe I would have killed myself or even been killed. I don't know. Was never given that choice." Never given that choice because they had joined that group and she now had Daryl. "I'm not like you Daryl, at least not in this sense. Things change—people change. Do I want to survive? Yes, of course. But under the pretense that it'd be with you."

He had never thought there'd come the day when someone would tell him they'd rather die than live without him. For some reason it placed a heavy weight on Daryl's shoulders, a burden of responsibility. Another person's life could be snuffed out because of him.

"I'm not going to be angry if you don't feel the same way," Alana told him.

And Daryl questioned it. Did he feel the same way? What would he do if Alana ever did die? Here she had confessed to needing him alive more than herself. He wanted her around, that was for certain. If Rick had made her leave the group he would have gone with her. He wouldn't let her be out there on her own—even if he didn't care for her, he made a promise to a dead man.

Daryl truly had no answer to that question. The more he tried to think it over the more frustrated and disheartened he felt. He didn't _want_ to think of something happening to Alana. If he thought of it, well that only told him it was possible for something to happen. He'd rather not dwell on it. Couldn't he just ignore it and maybe then she would never die? It was naïve, thinking such a thing. Didn't mean he couldn't think it.

And then Daryl thought, if something ever did happen to Alana it'd be because he couldn't stop it. Because something had happened _to him_. Only way one of those walkers was getting near Alana would be going through him first. Anything or anyone would have to get through him first. The possibility of this failure on his part made Daryl uneasy.

Realization came like a dull needle to the arm.

He'd die first. Protecting her.

They were in this together.

He nodded slowly to Alana. Reaching behind his neck Daryl undid the clasp on the chain with the two rings on it. "Fuck," he muttered. Alana looked to him questioningly. Daryl shook his head as he handed the rings back to her. "Hershel saw them."

Alana tried to think of something to say that would keep Daryl from, well, doing anything.

"The man kept the walkers in the barn secret till Glenn went tumbling in there. Doubt we have to worry about him saying anything." Truth of the matter was that Hershel had seen the chain and rings, but that was all. He saw them and thought nothing of it. Only thing he registered about them was that he had seen them.

After thinking it over, Daryl allowed her words to settle in. If he needed to worry about anyone knowing of him and Alana, it wasn't Hershel. With a motion to Alana's arm she held it out to him so he could read the time. They still had about two hours left. It was known without a doubt that there would be a discussion at some point that day over the events of yesterday.

Daryl wanted to choose to stay with Alana a bit longer, but knowing that _group session_ was coming, he wanted to be sure he was around at the right time. It was likely that Rick had shared some insight with Lori. And since Lori was _nesting_, as Dale put it, if she saw Daryl alone she might try to speak with him. And even if that didn't occur, Daryl knew that he could get any available information out of Glenn.

And if he needed to speak with Carol…he'd figure something out.

He stood up to leave. Alana rose from her spot on the floor, asking where he was going. Daryl stepped close to her, keeping his voice low.

"Gonna see who's on watch. Figure out what the group's thinking 'bout yesterday." After a pause he added, "Carol said some stuff 'bout ya."

Alana's eyes became hard. "What did she say?"

"It's nothing," Daryl said with a shake of his head. He reached out and held the rings round her neck. "I'm gonna take care of it. Ya trust me?"

His words echoed Wilhelm's and for a second she could even hear her brother's voice. Alana nodded without hesitancy. Of course she trusted Daryl. Above all others now, she trusted him.

"I'll take care of it."

Daryl rested his hand at the back of her neck, pulling her towards him. At first he only hugged her, his other arm snaked around her waist. He had meant to only kiss her for a moment. He still wasn't very accustomed to it. That wasn't to say he didn't enjoy it. He was grateful though that she pretty much let him figure things out on his own. Except for that first time in the guard tower…and the other night when he took her to his cell…and last night. Especially last night; that all had to do with trying to fucking infect herself.

The thoughts went away when it suddenly sounded in his head, the reasons why those moments between them had happened. Why everything between them had happened. They had been out of want, yes, but also out of fear. Fear that either may not see the other again. He could have stopped things multiple times, but he didn't. All because if something did happen to him, or even her, he wanted those moments. More importantly, he wanted to have them with her.

"I'll see ya later." Alana raised a brow as she pulled back from him, staring up. "Just trust me, will ya?" Alana smiled for a moment and then nodded. Daryl was thrown off track when she tipped herself up to kiss him. She was lithe with her kiss, lowering her head quickly and quietly giving an apology for her action.

Daryl squeezed her side before stepping away and leaving.

He needed to do damage control.

To his great luck, Glenn was sitting up in the guard tower. The younger man practically lunged at him from the top of the stairs, asking how he was, if something was wrong, if he needed anything. Daryl swatted him away like a fly. He took a seat and Glenn quickly did the same.

"I'm sorry man, I—I wasn't looking and I was just happy the others were there and—"

Daryl held a hand up. He certainly wasn't awake enough to deal with that amount of yammering. "I'm alive, ain't I?" He couldn't see, but Glenn was nodding his head.

He took a moment before asking, "So…what are you doing up?"

Daryl scoffed. "I rolled round in glass yesterday. And then I got shot up with who the hell knows what, then I got showered in alcohol." Glenn lowered his head as Daryl rolled a shoulder, exaggerating the movement. "Fuckin' sore." From the corner of his eye he could see Glenn's head pop up.

"Hershel said him and Alana fixed you up, that you were gonna be okay—are you okay? Did you take that medicine they gave you?"

The words came so easily to Daryl.

"Alana gave me some shots."

"When? Right now?"

Daryl shook his head. "Last night."

Glenn's face brightened. "Maybe you need more! Alana—she was taking those meds like twice a day. You probably just need more."

Daryl managed to keep Glenn in place for a while longer. That turned into nearly the end of Glenn's watch. Again he asked if Daryl was sure he felt okay.

"I'm fine. Just tell Alana I want more of whatever she gave me," he grumbled.

Alana found herself cornered in the hall by Glenn shortly after. He had brought Dale with him as well. She didn't bother to ask what was wrong, she could tell by the look on Glenn's face that he was about to unload a massive amount of words in a very short amount of time.

"I think you should take a look at Daryl," Dale began, taking a side glance at Glenn who nodded his head.

Alana rubbed at her face. "What did he do now?"

"He came to the guard tower—I was on watch—he was complaining about being sore. I don't think he got much sleep last night, he looked really tired. And cranky. Well, more cranky than usual," Glenn rattled off. She was sure he had said more, but Alana had been unable to catch everything that came out his mouth.

"Can you give him any more medicine?" Dale asked her.

Alana thought for a moment, nodding her head slowly. "Suppose I can. I'll see what we have in stock. I dosed him heavily yesterday, won't be able to give him much right this morning." There was a shadow of relief on the faces of the two men, but Alana could see that hesitant thought creeping over Dale. She answered it without him saying a word. "He's fine. He'll be fine."

Glenn caught on to what it was that Dale was worrying over. His brow drooped as he spoke. "He wasn't bitten though. And—and Wilhelm was always saying how he figured only a bite would kill you. He was right, wasn't he?"

Alana's eyes dropped to her side, seeing the abnormal smooth skin on her arm where she had scraped it. The evening she earned that scar came back to her, the night they met Randall and those other men. They had butchered those walkers, bits and sludge of their rotting bodies slicked over her skin. But she hadn't become infected. Her situation that night had been far graver than the one Daryl had been in the day before. But still, even she had panicked, scrubbing at her skin with fury and biting back sobs as Daryl forced her arm down into the sink. Perhaps it was only the bite that could turn a person. A scratch, it'd have to be a very serious scratch, more like tearing the skin open. It was dispiriting how little they knew about the walkers.

"I'll get my things. Where is he?" Alana asked the two men. Daryl was still up in the guard tower.

Daryl looked down to see Dale and Alana come out from the prison. It was evident that both hurried up the steps although they feigned casually walking in. Alana held a small bag in one hand. Dale set his rifle down on the desk and took a seat. Glenn had remained back in the prison. Alana wondered how longer before the others learned what was going on.

"You feeling alright?" Dale asked Daryl while watched Alana remove vials from the bag along with injection needles.

"Just sore from rollin' round in glass," Daryl said in a bothered tone. He shrugged out of his jacket, but only rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. Alana swabbed an area clear of cuts and made two injections. As she was putting the vials away Dale stood up, taking a few steps towards Daryl. With a hesitant look, he reached out to feel Daryl's forehead. Daryl in turn quickly pulled away.

Dale held his hands up. "Just checking." Alana looked to him to see what he had done. "He's a bit warm," he told her.

"He's sittin' right here," Daryl added.

"Is there anything else you can do?" Dale asked Alana.

"What? Ya gonna follow me round all day? Be my little shadow?"

Dale raised a curious brow. "It's not a bad idea." He could hear Daryl chuckling darkly as he spoke to Alana. "Keep a eye on him, he was covered in a good amount of blood." Dale's tone told Alana that he didn't in any way blame her for it though.

With a resigned sigh, she said, "I have nothing else better to do." She checked his vital signs, saying they were a bit off the normal range. Daryl countered that it was due to being bothered by them. Alana packed away her bag, calling over her back as she headed for the stairs. "I'm going to eat something. I'll meet you in the ward. Consider yourself quarantined."

Daryl began to protest and Alana stopped at the stairs. It was intimidating and a bit funny, how her accent became heavy when she was angry.

"Far as we know, there are two parts to this. We're all infected, we are all going to turn when we die. But if we get bit—maybe even scratched—by one of those things, we're dead in 24 hours. You weren't bit, you weren't scratched. But you had open wounds. You have…ten hours. If I don't have to put a bullet in your head within that time, then you can go back to witling away sticks."

Alana turned her back to Daryl and left, shaking her head and muttering to herself in German as she went down the stairs.

Daryl left soon after, being pestered by Dale to go and eat something. He actually felt a bit guilty about his harshness to Dale's concern. But the fact that he just bought himself practically the next 24 hours with Alana, alone, made things seem very much worth it.

The others were just beginning to trickle into the cafeteria. Alana was already sitting at her table, with Michonne and Andrea, eating cereal. Daryl could see that she had eaten the majority from her bowl. He figured it would be best for him to get out of there as soon as possible. He headed into the kitchen and fixed himself a bowl, pocketing an extra box. Andrea walked past him to add more powdered milk to her own bowl and eyed him as he stuffed crackers and fruit snacks in his pockets.

He walked back out to the tables, munching away at his cereal already. Andrea returned to the table, sitting down while her eyes scanned over the entrance.

"What was that about?" she asked the other two women.

"He isn't feeling well."

"Ain't well in the head," Michonne said.

"Dale and Glenn are throwing a hissy fit," Alana continued, "said we should keep an eye on him. So now I get to lock myself up in the hospital wing for the day. With him." Alana paused to add that he did have a slight fever and was complaining about soreness.

Michonne was quiet, having kept her head down as Alana spoke. Andrea snorted, saying, "Maybe if he turns, you can tie him up, keep him as a pet." Michonne joined in on the laughter.

The noise from the cellblock was reaching into the cafeteria. "Better get out of here before hell rains down upon me for 'killing Daryl,'" Alana said, standing up from the table. "Promise to defend my honor if the witch speaks ill of me?" Alana asked in an airy tone. The other two laughed and Michonne saluted with her spoon.

Alana kept her head down as she headed back to her cell to gather some things. With a backpack in hand, she came back down the stairs, stopping to inform Hershel of what was going on. Apparently Glenn had already told him. And he had told Rick. Rick gave Alana a nod as she saw him coming out from the hallway. She looked up in time to see Carol coming out from her cell. It was a task to keep from smiling outwardly; she wished she could be in the cafeteria when Rick told the group where Daryl _and_ she were. From the way everyone moved about, no one else was aware of anything.

Daryl was sitting on one of the many cots when Alana came in. He had picked one against the same wall as the doors, about halfway down the row. Alana dropped the backpack onto one of the mattresses after closing the doors and locking them. She took slow steps towards Daryl, eyeing him.

"Clever," she said, clapping lightly. "Very clever."

Daryl only shrugged his shoulders, reclining back on the small bed. Alana stopped at the foot of it; she was looking over the cuts on his neck. "Those do need to be looked at though," she told him. Daryl glanced over to the doors, the clicking of the locks ringing back into his ears.

He removed the jacket he wore and began unbuttoning the long sleeve shirt. He stopped for a moment, his hands uncertain in lifting the undershirt over his head. The sickly crisp whiteness of the room made everything all the brighter; at the very top of the outside wall was a row of windows with the sun glaring right through them.

"I've seen them before, you know," Alana said, looking up from the cart she had pushed over. She tried to push a clump of hair behind her ear so she could glance at him from her side. It wasn't even long enough though to fit into a ponytail. Was probably for the best; for her to not look over to him. Might give him a bit more confidence. "Back at the farm. Someone had to make sure you woke up. So I sat with you." Alana walked over to him, a small tray of moistened gauze in a hand. She wore those puke-inducing green gloves. Daryl did want to protest, but with her face blank as it was, when she grabbed the hem of his shirt he couldn't keep from letting her guide it over his head. He swung his legs off the bed, planting them on the floor while she stood between them. She grabbed the gauze and began dabbing at the small wounds. It was obvious to Alana that Daryl was trying his best to not flinch at the sting of the disinfectant. His shoulders began to hunch as Alana continued with the task. His lack of discomfort was growing. Alana smiled lopsidedly. "It was pretty boring, just sitting there. So, I tried coming up with a story for each of them." She looked up to see Daryl wasn't following her, so as she cleaned the cuts on his chest she began nodding her head to the older scars. There was one just below his collarbone. "This one you got when you tried hugging a dog. Its nails weren't clipped, so it scratched you." She pointed to one that slashed across his right side. "That's from climbing your first tree. You didn't get very high. This one's from welding, and this one happened when you first started learning how to shoot that crossbow." With a light, condescending look, she pushed at his left side, to the wound from the arrow. "That one…you got that one from being stupid." She turned round and removed the gloves, taking the tray over towards a trash bin. Alana came back, sitting on the bed next to his. Daryl was slipping the undershirt back on. "Those aren't how you got them, are they?"

Daryl shook his head. If she asked, he'd tell her they were just some lessons learned the hard way; that should keep her from asking anything else.

Alana stared at the few scars that were on his arms and the one that peeked out from the low collar of the wifebeater. "I'll stick with my stories," she said quietly. Alana then chuckled, getting up to go and grab her backpack, ready to dump the contents out and try to figure out how she was going to pass an entire day by in there. She returned, unzipping it. "Offer still stands, trade you scars."

"Ya don't want mine," Daryl told her, watching as she began taking things out from that backpack. Looked like she had brought her entire cell with her; the books were there, the DVD player, films, and plenty of snacks. And, oddly enough (he didn't have a clue where she would have found it) a rubber band ball.

With a scoff Alana said, "Few more of these," indicating the large scars on her back, "and I'll look like Frankenstein's monster. Trust me, I'd gladly take yours."

Daryl stood and looked over her shoulder at the pile of things. He picked up a DVD box; wanted something that would mean he didn't have to talk. A _Doctor Who _season would kill some time. Alana began setting it up while Daryl pushed and pulled the beds around to make space, removing the mattresses and tossing them on the floor. He used one flat on the floor to hold another up that he set on its side against the wall. They'd be in there for a while, he wanted to not leave with a knot in his neck and back. Alana was putting the first disc in the player, her back to him, when he spoke offhandedly.

"Ya ain't Frankenstein's monster. Don't got bolts in your neck." He saw that Alana was smiling as she turned around and sat down with him.

He sat with his legs stretched out before him; Alana sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. Her body was a bit rigid. From the corner of his eye, Daryl could see her open and close her mouth, trying to get the words out.

"You're not in pain though, really, are you?" Daryl shook his head. "You wouldn't lie to me about it?"

Instinct told him to do something and he didn't hesitate. Daryl raised an arm and rested it over Alana's shoulders, pulling her to his side. "Gonna be fine. No pain." He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Just wanted to get the hell away from everyone else." He became quiet then, watching the small screen with her. He did, of course, have his small, snide commentary that he added. As the first episode ended, Daryl shook his head. "Mickey's a fuckin' idiot."

WDWDWDWD

He knew it would eventually start happening.

The others began to trickle over to A-Block, tapping on and rattling the doors.

The first to arrive was Maggie. Alana shot Daryl a glare when he rolled his eyes at hearing Maggie call out to them, lightly knocking on the doors. She paused the DVD player and walked over to unlock one of the doors.

"Hey!" Maggie said when Alana opened the door. She didn't come in; Daryl craned his neck to see her standing in the hall. "Rick told us what happened." Lowering her voice, she asked, "Is he okay?" Alana nodded. "Great. Well, I just wanted to bring you some stuff." Maggie held out a box. In it were dozens of movies she had taken from the library. "Figured it would help pass the time. And…" She pulled out a pair of headphones from her back pocket. "In case he gets annoying." Alana laughed, taking the box from her. Maggie took a step back, then spoke again, very quietly. Nearly mouthing the words. "You okay in there? With him?"

"Yeah," Alana answered, looking down to the box. "This should be enough to pass the day." Maggie smiled at her answer.

"Well if you need anything, just let me know."

Daryl chewed at his thumb while Alana locked the door again. He peeked into the box after she set it down, looking through the films.

Some time passed before anyone else came by. When they did, it was like clockwork, reaching a point early on where Alana didn't bother to relock the door. She was tired of having to get up each time. After Glenn came by Alana began sitting on one of the cots, displaying a distance between herself and Daryl to anyone who stopped in on them. Hershel came to check on him and speak with Alana. He silently showed his insistence to check Daryl's vitals. When done, he looked over to Alana before walking back to the cabinets, putting the instruments up. Thankfully for him, Daryl had put the volume on the player at full blast.

"Vitals are good," Hershel said in a hushed voice to Alana. "He still complaining about that pain?" Alana nodded. Hershel sighed.

"I think he's just faking it," Alana told him with irritation. She looked round the large room for a second, rubbing at her neck.

With his back to Daryl, Hershel called out, "You best stay here for the day. You still got a fever. Isn't much, but we need to make sure you're in here in case you need something and you need it quick." He closed the last cabinet and turned to Alana. "I'll try and get the others to stop coming over here." Thus far he, Maggie, Glenn, Dale, Axel, and Carl had come by.

"Thank you," Alana said quietly.

She stood in place as Hershel walked out. Alana then moved to lock the door. She ran a hand through her hair, coming back over to Daryl.

As she expected, there would be more people coming by to shove their heads around. Daryl's guard completely rose when Michonne arrived. The woman sat on the bed opposite Alana, boxing Daryl in between them.

"John Wayne?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at the DVD player.

Alana shook her head. "He," she said, jabbing a finger at Daryl, "insisted."

"I'm the fuckin' patient here."

Michonne didn't say much else while she remained in there a good half hour. She would occasionally say something to Alana and when needed, would make a quick remark to Daryl. Though she was the quietest of everyone that had come by, she irked him beyond words. Even if she didn't directly look at him, she stared out the corner of her eye towards him. She would only stop her stealth watch over him if Alana began speaking or moved.

When Alana got up to excuse herself to the restroom, Daryl knew Michonne would open up her mouth.

"Ya got a staring problem?" he asked her, turning to look at her. Michonne only sat there, reclined on the cot, hands behind her head. She casually shook her head.

"Looks like you do though. Gotta admit, you're pretty sly with it."

"What the hell ya talking 'bout?" Daryl fidgeted around on the mattress. He reached forward to grab a bottle of water. He did his best to focus on the small screen of the DVD player.

"Told her she still had those puppy eyes following her." Daryl shot a glare at her and Michonne chuckled. "That right there, only proves it." She stood at hearing Alana's steps in the hall. "Carol doesn't know a thing. Best keep it that way." Michonne stepped back as Alana returned through the door. "Gonna head out."

"You okay?" Alana asked Daryl when she sat back down with him. He had a scowl on his face.

He glanced over at the doors. "She knows."

Alana looked to the doors, half expecting to see Michonne there. Turning back to Daryl it was obvious that he wasn't happy with the woman knowing about them. He explained what she had said and how he had fell for that stupid trap, exposing himself.

"She won't say anything," Alana tried telling him. "She wouldn't. What would be the point of her saying anything?" Alana reached over and grabbed his face. "It's going to be fine." She kissed his cheek, but Daryl shook his head as she pulled back.

"Lori knows too," he muttered. He grabbed her hand from his face, pulling it away. "Don't know what's going on, but she knows there's something. Told me to sort it out. Sort Carol out."

Alana sighed, sitting back against the wall at the mention of the woman. It wasn't just that though. Two people knew about them now. In all honesty, she actually didn't worry about either of them saying a word. But if two knew, how long before others did as well? And what would be Daryl's reaction? Perhaps even more importantly, what would Carol's reaction be if she found out?

"I'll figure something out," Daryl said a moment later. He scratched at his knee. "I'll take care of it, alright?"

Alana nodded. Looking at the screen, the film was over. She rolled onto her knees, sitting before the DVD player and removing the disc. The battery was running low and so she plugged it into the CampStove. She was getting up to look into the box of films, but Daryl reached over to grab the sleeve of her shirt.

He kissed her quickly, pulling back, before kissing her again. She grabbed at the shirt he had thrown back over his wifebeater. It didn't slip past her, what he was doing—he was doing what he knew. Ignoring the problem at hand and replacing it with comfort. And for all in her, Alana was unable to call him out on it.

Daryl's breath caught in his throat as Alana straddled his lap, pulling herself up against him. It took a strength he had never needed to not panic and push her away. He continuously told himself that he was doing this for her. Any little bit of control he could give her, he needed to let her have it. When he felt her nudge at his lips, he only paused for a moment before opening his mouth. Though certain he was making a fool of himself, certain that she knew exactly what she was doing while he was flying blind, Daryl never pulled away or pushed her back. And she didn't either.

Alana moved against him and Daryl quickly reached for her side, grabbing at her waist. He could feel himself twitching beneath her as the shudders rolled over him. She pulled back only slightly, allowing him that chance to say something, to stop things. As she moved again he said nothing. Alana tried to push him further, pushing the shirt off his shoulders and running her hands over his skin. She felt his grip tighten at her side before he slipped his hand under her flannel shirt, his nails biting gently into her skin.

It was complete desire and he should have held back, but the quickness in which Alana relented control to him served to only drive Daryl forward, though he did not know where he meant for this to go. His other hand gripped with force at her nape and pushed her back as he crouched over her on the mattress. Without a thought he ran his hand down her side, grabbing at her thigh and moving himself against her.

Her hand moved down his arm, reaching out for his side. She hiked his shirt up before reaching back down, her fingers grazing over the waist of his pants.

Even if he had wanted it, the moment he felt her touch Daryl froze.

And then came the meek knock at the doors.

"Daryl?" Carol called out through the door. "Daryl, how you doing?" The doorknob rattled.

**And I'm so evil! Ending it right there! Tell me how evil I am! Hahaha**

**Alana, Daryl, and Carol, all in the same room with no one else? That can't end well, can it? **

**With Alana practically showing Daryl that she loves him by her willingness to possibly infect herself, when do you guys think these two are going to actually say that they love each other? Who do you think will say it first, Daryl or Alana? Do you think either of them have even admitted to themselves that they love each other? **

**And, now that two people know about Daryl and Alana, do you think Daryl will try to put some distance between himself and Alana? Maybe he won't spend as much time with her alone? **


	58. Chapter 58

**Holy crap guys! You see what happens when you guys post a ton of reviews!? I post a new chapter early! Yay! I just could not bring myself to sit on this chapter for a week, so it's going up early (: This chapter is really a continuation of the previous one, I left you guys on a cliffhanger, so this is the other half. **

**So read! I'm sure you'll all be enjoying the end (: **

**And review! I freaking love reading reviews! **

Alana sighed into Daryl's neck. He sat up on his knees, pulling his shirt down and looking everywhere except towards Alana. She was straightening out her own clothes. "Yeah, yeah," she said loudly. As she began walking to the doors Daryl crouched over the box of films. When Alana looked back to him, he was sitting with one knee up, earbuds plugged into the small DVD player.

She swung the door open, standing back, yet the space for Carol to enter through felt ever threatening. Carol was nearly the same height as Daryl and so she looked down to Alana. One would think if you were taller than someone, you'd be less inclined to be scared by them. Turned out to not be the case for Carol. She crossed her arms, trying to shut herself away.

"He's alive," Alana said with exasperation.

Carol shot her a demeaning look, walking past Alana. She stood there, rocking slightly as she smiled at Daryl. When she continued to look his way, Daryl huffed, tugging the earphones off.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Peachy," he told her. He looked round her to Alana. "Thought ya said ya were gonna give me some peace round here."

Carol looked around, seeing the empty plates from the lunch Maggie had brought them earlier. "You must be tired and bored, just sitting in here all day," Carol said to Daryl. "Sure you'll be glad to get out of here." Her eyes scanned over the room, resting on Alana for a moment.

She sat on the cot, watching the one-sided interaction before her. Carol's eyes could be felt scanning over her.

"You must be tired too," Carol told her. "Why don't you go get some rest? I can keep an eye on him."

"I'm fine right here," Alana said, doing her best to not grit the words out.

Carol just kept on coming with her calm, cool words. "Well why don't you go get Hershel? You've done enough already, no point in tiring yourself."

"He's a veterinarian," said Alana. She jerked her head over towards Daryl. "I _am _the one who put him in here anyways. My job to look after him now."

The false kindness in Carol's face fell. She turned to fully face Alana; she shot glances to Daryl, as if she was waiting for him to say something. The small, quick comments kept coming from both of them. In any other situation it would have been normal conversation, but with these two, there was an underlying hatred.

"Really Alana, you've done more than enough. Daryl, tell her it's okay for her to leave."

Alana chuckled, shaking her head. She was happy she could say everything she wanted in German and get away with it. _"Are you just pathetically desperate for someone to smother or do you really want to fuck him? You're one of those people that read Hamlet and thought he wanted to fuck his mother, weren't you? No, you wouldn't have had the time to read or even watch that play. Likely too busy watching soap operas and ironing shirts. And getting your ass beat when you didn't have the dishes washed."_ Carol was looking between her and Daryl, oblivious to what she was saying. Daryl had an idea that whatever she was saying, it was far from kind. _"I should just walk over there and start fucking him. Would love to see your reaction to that." _

"What's your game?" Carol asked her, arms crossed. "Why are you even still here? You never wanted to be part of this group in the first place. All you've done is cause trouble. Just look at him! You put Daryl in here!"

Daryl was trying to tell the two of them to just stop, pushing himself off from the floor. "Ya knock it off!" he growled to both of them. He turned on Carol, ready to tell her to get the hell out of there, to leave Alana alone. The muscles in his arm began to twitch.

Lori was standing at the doorway, watching everything. Nearly the entire time, Daryl's eyes had stayed on Alana. And that look, she knew it. Rick used to look at her like that. With devotion.

"Hey Carol? Why don't you come help me get dinner ready?"

It was just like that that Carol's face rose slightly, looking over to Lori. "Of course, be right there." She took a few steps towards Daryl, reaching out to rub his shoulder before walking to the doors. Lori asked if everything was all right and Carol quickly said nothing was wrong. "Just a small disagreement. Everything's fine now."

Lori waited till Carol had passed her. She stared over to Daryl who was watching Alana walk away to the cabinets. When Daryl looked to her, she nodded.

It was Alana.

Always had been.

When Lori left she closed the door and Daryl returned his focus to Alana. She was throwing her head back and taking a swig from a bottle. Daryl walked to see her putting a medication back in the cabinet. She turned and saw him there behind her. Alana rubbed at her forehead.

"Sorry, got a bit of a headache there."

"What exactly did ya say?" Daryl asked as she walked around him, going back to the mattress on the floor.

"You don't want to know," Alana answered with a small laugh. "Really don't want to know."

She was frustrated, not even caring about what had just happened before Carol interrupted. Didn't even want to continue it. A small tension had settled between herself and Daryl.

"You _need_ to talk to her," Alana said after a while. The two sat next to each other on the mattress, not really paying attention to the film. "Promise me you'll talk to her." Alana ticked off two fingers on her left hand. "Michonne and Lori already know. She may be beyond thickheaded, but Carol will find out at some point. Talk to her. If you don't, I will."

Daryl was unable to respond. Those doors were always rattling.

Alana growled as she shoved off the mattress to find out who was bothering them now. "Patient's fine," she said with a sweep of an arm as Rick walked into the ward.

"Glad to hear," Rick said, looking around the area the two had been using. He walked over, taking a seat on one of the cots, pushing things aside to make room. Alana closed the door and followed after him, sitting on the cot Michonne had used. "Had a chat with the others." Rick looked over to Daryl. "Were you planning on going on the next run?" The younger man nodded. "Group will go next week then. We'll do the town run the week after."

He continued to speak about the runs without mention of the events from yesterday. It was as if he was saying through his silence, "People can think whatever they want, but we remain a group. We work as a group." He had spoken to everyone that morning and he made it clear that Daryl was going to be fine, even though he didn't know it at the time. He told them caution was being taken. Rick went as far as to add that with everything Daryl had done for the group that no one could deny he had earned a day of leisure. And so the group had received the news relatively well. Aside from Carol.

Lori had done her part to keep the woman busy, constantly telling her that everything with Daryl was fine. Rick had told everyone to give Daryl his space. While anyone else would have enjoyed receiving visitors, Rick didn't suspect Daryl would. He was fully aware that some members of the group hadn't heeded his word and went to visit Daryl anyway, although he had his suspicions that their visits weren't for Daryl. All everyone knew was that Alana and Daryl only interacted now when it was needed for the group. None had been willing to ask either what was between them back at the farm though they had ideas of their own. Thought perhaps it was some sort of understanding, an agreement. Or that maybe there was more to Daryl than they had originally believed. After leaving the farm they all knew they had been wrong. And when Alana came to the prison, things were different.

There was an unspoken want to keep the peace between Alana and Daryl. Part of that peace had been doing just as the two of them did, ignoring what had been.

So they had come throughout the day to make sure the fragile peace was still intact. When Rick knew that he couldn't stop them from going, he chose to use them. To keep tabs on Alana and Daryl. He had planned on leaving them be, to not go by himself. But it did not go unnoticed very long that Carol and Lori were missing. He crossed paths with the two as he went to do damage control.

"I want to start training everyone," he said to Alana. "Yesterday was a reminder that things can go wrong, even if we don't lose anyone. There were some of those riot guns in the armory. They shoot out these rubber bits, just meant to control crowds. We can use those. Keep from wasting bullets." Rick scratched at his neck, thinking of the sight he had seen when they got back to the prison, of Carl and Lori just sitting there in that car. "None of us can be sitting ducks, can't rely on the hope that someone else will protect us. Everyone should be able to defend themselves. I want you two to find out what everyone is best at and help train them at it. I've already asked Andrea and Michonne to help as well."

He went on, saying what he believed everyone in the group should train at. He wasn't sure of all of them; didn't know what Lori, Carl, and Carol should do. He was most uncertain about Lori. He wanted her able to protect herself, but with being pregnant, he just wasn't sure. What he did know was that he wanted everyone able to handle a gun without wasting bullets. He suggested that Daryl begin heading out to hunt, that there was no point to become comfortable on food from a box. Again, he told them that anything could happen and they needed to be prepared. He didn't want anyone becoming rusty.

"And you're not going alone," Rick added after Daryl nodded his head. "I don't care who you take, but you're not going alone. Pick out who you think is best, and start training them how to hunt with you."

"I have my bow," Alana said quietly, her eyes on the floor. "I know how to use it a bit already, suppose that makes me the best candidate."

Rick looked over to Daryl, waiting for his answer.

"Yeah, alright. Least she knows how to stay quiet."

"I'll send someone to get you two when dinner's ready," Rick said as he stood.

That someone turned out to be himself. He waited at the door while Alana gave Daryl one last injection. "We'll clean up here later," he said.

Outside Alana stretched her legs and arms, enjoying not having four walls around her. She ignored the fact that she had three fences around her. At least she could see through them. Looking up, she saw Andrea in the guard tower. She and Dale had been switching shifts the whole day. When beckoned by her, Alana veered off from Rick and Daryl to go up and see what Andrea wanted.

Daryl watched her walk off from them.

"I'll have Maggie bring you two plates," Rick called out to her and Alana waved a hand in thanks. He turned his head back to the front, the doors to C-Block getting closer. No one else was outside with them and Alana was far away enough from them. "Need to speak with you. On a personal matter." His voice was low and Rick kept his eyes straight ahead. From afar it didn't even look like the two were talking. "I've had my suspicions, but since it isn't my place, I haven't said anything." From the stiffness that fell into Daryl's steps, Rick knew that what Lori had come and told him earlier was true. "You might think you're doing the right thing, but trust me on this, it won't end well."

Daryl couldn't stop from turning around to look up at the guard tower.

WDWDWDWD

That night Alana could tell that something was different about Daryl, but she said nothing on the matter. She hoped that he had taken her words into consideration and was going to speak with Carol. But Alana had already decided that the next time the woman said something to her, she was going to let her have it.

For the week that followed it seemed like she had a revolving door surrounding her. Everyone came in, asking her how she was. How hellish it must have been to be stuck with Daryl for a day. The only ones that hadn't bothered her were Lori, Rick, and Michonne. She was sure that no one was going up to Daryl and asking how he was coping.

And Carol. She was like an ulcer. Alana knew the minute Rick suggested the group begin weapon training that the woman would gravitate right towards Daryl. And she did. Alana felt relief when Rick told the hag to stick with small firearms, the very thing that Daryl wasn't teaching. Was absurd even, that she had gone to Daryl and asked him to train her. (Alana wagered that if the woman even tried to fire a shotgun that she'd be knocked right on her ass.) Rick had sorted everyone out, giving the trainers select jobs. Himself and Andrea were in charge of guns. Michonne and Glenn in charge of hand weapons. And with the only crossbows in the prison, Daryl and Alana wound up together. Alone.

Looks were thrown their way everyday. But the two kept their distance while outside. Daryl set up targets, sacks of soil that Hershel said he couldn't use, outside A-Block. He always felt someone's eyes on him from up in the tower. He had even been cornered one day by Andrea while he was on his way to train with Alana.

"You step one toe out of line with her…just remember I have one of her rifles up there with me," she had told him.

Well, at least he knew Michonne hadn't said anything to her.

He knew things were changing when he started taking Alana out into the fields to deal with walkers. He had set them up at the far left corner of the prison not only because he didn't want Alana shooting off bolts and hitting someone, but also because he wanted to be alone. As alone as they could be, what with his certainty that whoever was up in the guard tower on duty was watching them. Daryl had not spoken to Carol, yet within a few days he could actually feel the air around him become less dense. Aside from training Alana, he didn't spend any other time with her, except for in the nights.

The time spent together during the day began to remind him of the farm. Reminded him of how things used to be between them. Nearly. Alana hadn't hesitated to test him in front of the others. She would dare to smile at him. To ask for his help or to tag along with him on some errand. She had never looked over her shoulder or strained an ear when with him. She hadn't cared what the others thought of the two of them. They had been surviving.

But now at the prison she didn't test him. Didn't smile at him. Her face was either blank or covered in a scowl as she listened to the pointers he gave her about the crossbow. And though he never caught her, Daryl knew that she was looking over her shoulder.

He rarely saw her smile at him now; that's what bothered him most. In their evenings together he could scarcely see her face clearly. Even when the moon was full and shone into the prison they were covered in shadows. What smiles she gave him during the day in their brief meetings were tainted with knowing they'd have to quickly part ways. Daryl wanted to see her smile again, at him. He hated that she didn't smile at him. Hated it even more that he wanted her to smile at him. The need between them was still there, but for the life of him he just wanted her to smile at him.

While he continued to want to gain her smile, it was queer for him to see that he had lost a different smile.

Perhaps it was because everyone was busy or the fact that Daryl had secluded himself and Alana from the rest of the group, made her his little shadow. Hell, maybe Lori had said something. Maybe even Alana. He was constantly paranoid that Alana would snap and say something. Whatever the reason, he found the space around him void of Carol. It had probably helped that Daryl had stopped eating in the cafeteria in the mornings. He would go in to grab whatever he wanted and then left, eating in his cell or outside, sitting in the chair just by the doors. And he started eating with Glenn in the evenings, much as it perturbed him. Maggie and Hershel took up the other two seats and so he didn't have to bother with Carol. He just had to deal with Glenn and his insistence to chatter away at him. A few times he would wait till the others had already gathered for dinner before heading in. He'd sit at a table by himself. Every now and then Axel would give up his spot with the women and sit with him. Didn't say much; when he did, there really was no need for Daryl to respond. Most of the time Axel didn't care if someone was listening, he just enjoyed rattling his mouth off. Getting his thoughts out in the air.

Daryl hadn't heard a peep out of Carol and for the first time in a long while he was able to be at Alana's side in plain view of the others. It really was like back at the farm. If only he could make himself sit with her in the cafeteria. Or go into her cell. What he really wanted was to pack his things up and toss it all into her cell. They had shared a room back at the farm, so why couldn't he do it now?

It was a stupid question. He already knew the answer to it. And it was more than just Carol holding him back from doing what he wanted. He was holding himself back. Didn't like people in his business, knowing his business. In his head he had it down that what had happened at the farm was partly due to guilt. And after Wilhelm died, due to a promise. Underneath it all though, the basis of his actions was very simple. He had admitted it to himself already. He wanted Alana.

He just didn't want the others knowing that.

So Daryl kept his head down, treated Alana just as he treated everyone else in the group. And while he felt that things were changing, going back to how they once were at the farm, taking a small step forward, with the way Alana was beginning to harden, it felt like he was taking two steps back.

Nearly a week had gone by since the incident in the medical ward. He knew that Alana was aware he hadn't spoken to Carol. It bothered him slightly that she hadn't said anything about it though. Perhaps since Carol had stopped bothering them she wasn't worried about it anymore? No, that was beyond unlikely.

Alana hadn't stopped being bothered by Carol's appearance that day in the ward. Much as she wanted to put the hag in her place, she knew that it wasn't her place. She wasn't the one who had created this demented triangle. This was on Daryl. He needed to fix it. He was the one who went out there looking for Sophia what seemed like every day. He was so positive that they would find her. It was something he was good at, tracking, so he thought for certain he'd bring her back to the farm. To Carol. He hadn't really cared what Carol or the others thought of his actions. There was a little girl missing. He was going to bring her back. And…he'd never say it, most of all to Carol, but he went out searching for Sophia to keep Alana from his head. She was a complete mystery to him—still was now. Didn't understand why she kept coming round him. Didn't understand why she put up with him.

WDWDWDWD

It was the day before the run back to the country club. Daryl had kept to his cell most of the day. He wasn't sure where Alana had gone off to. It wasn't till that evening during dinner that he saw her. Glenn had had the brilliant idea that since he, Daryl, Maggie, and Alana were going out the next day they should eat together. He had been the first to sit down and like vultures Glenn and Maggie sat down right after him. Glenn called over to Alana like a sugar-hyped child and with a small fault in her step she joined them at the table. Maggie asked what the run had been like with Rick and the others. It was to be very straightforward according to Alana.

Daryl wasn't paying much attention; he was too busy up in his own head. Sitting there with Alana and the others made him very much aware of himself. He wasn't a bloody barbarian, but with Alana at the table Daryl took smaller bites. Even cursed himself when he tried to keep elbows off the table. But Alana was there, to his left, hers resting on the very edge. She laughed into her cup at some comment Glenn had made. Daryl started listening when Alana began to speak. She was talking about leaving things behind, back in the military. The same story she had told him before giving him the rings that first time she went on a run.

Their table became solemn.

At the affect of her words, Alana looked round them then lowered her voice a bit. "Whenever we'd go out, those who were going, we'd sit around like this," she said, tapping on the table. "Sometimes it wasn't much, just chocolate bars, but we'd get together and eat the night before."

"A last supper," Maggie commented.

Alana nodded her head. "Yeah."

"That's comforting," Daryl snorted before he could stop himself. Alana and Maggie both gave him the same dark look. But then he felt a sting on his shoulder. Alana had swatted a hand out to hit him. The incredulous look on his face garnered snickers from Glenn.

"It is comforting," Alana said, her attention now back to the entire table. "We didn't talk about what was going to happen the next day. We were just a bunch of idiots talking nonsense." It could be seen that Alana was thinking of those mentioned idiots that she had left behind. She looked up to the other three at the table, a pale smile on her face. She even showed it to Daryl. "Afterwards, when we got back, someone always managed to find a couple bottles of beer. We'd wander off at the first chance and drink. It was like a reward I guess, we had made it back." Alana furrowed her brow slightly. "Not all of us. Sometimes, we drank because we needed to."

Memories of those from her unit that had never made it back faded, replaced by Daryl. She shook the thought from her head, not wanting to think of him as perishable.

"I'm going to call it a night," she told the three. "I'll come wake you all in the morning."

With Alana's leaving Daryl rose shortly afterwards, dumping his plate in the sink and heading off to his cell. He was sorting through his things, picking out what all he wanted to take with him the next day when he felt someone behind him. Turning, he saw Glenn standing there, a fidgety look about him.

"What the hell ya want? Girl kick you outta the bed?"

"What? No! No. Listen," Glenn said, leaning into the cell and lowering his voice. "At 11, come down into the cafeteria, okay?" He could see the questioning look on Daryl's face. "Come on man, please, just do it, okay?"

Daryl had told him he would just to get the guy away. Had no intention of going and finding out what Glenn was up to. At least that was until he saw Glenn walk past his cell. Where the hell had he gone?

Alana's.

Shaking his head, Daryl found himself heading down to the cafeteria just before 11. He was still fully dressed. When he entered, Glenn and Maggie were sitting at one of the tables, a lantern turned on. Daryl heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Alana. She had a small flashlight in her hand.

The smile on Glenn's face was nauseating. Daryl and Alana came to sit down at the table.

"This best be good," Daryl said to no one in particular, already slouching in his seat, arms crossed. He swung his legs side to side, watching the shadows play on the floor.

Glenn and Maggie held out their hands at the same time.

Alana couldn't help but laugh.

In their hands were four chocolate bars. "Vending machine?" Alana asked Glenn and he nodded.

"I got a bottle of whiskey," Maggie said with a grin. "When we get back we can drink it."

They were all laughing quietly and smiling except for Daryl. Alana had already grabbed a bar from Maggie. Glenn had tensed, worrying that his little plan was going to be ruined. That Daryl may just get up and leave. Maggie looked like she was ready to just force feed Daryl one of the bars. With a side glance to Alana, Daryl reached over and took the second bar from Maggie.

The tension deflated and the four tore open the wrappings.

"Prefer Crunch," Daryl muttered as he took a bite of the Snickers bar he had grabbed. Maggie and Glenn began to giggle as Alana's eyes went semi-wide. She had taken the Crunch bar.

"Well then you should have picked it first," Maggie told him with assertiveness. The woman was never one to keep her mouth shut as far as speaking to Daryl was concerned. The others may have been wary of him, but being from the countryside, being a farmer's girl, she was used to men like Daryl.

She began chatting quietly with Alana while Glenn and Daryl listened in. Really all they talked about was nonsense. Just silly little things. Glenn spoke up and told everyone of the first time he went Trick or Treating for Halloween and how he practically put himself in a sugar coma. He had made separate piles of all the candy he had gotten. The biggest pile was of hard sugar candy. He ate that pile first. Next day he was either next to the toilet or carrying a trash bin around with him. Every since then he couldn't eat hard candy. He stuck with chocolate.

"Here," Alana had said in between the chatter and laughs to Daryl. Looking to his side, he saw her holding out half of her chocolate bar to him.

"Alana! No! That's yours," Maggie said to her, pointing at the bar.

"It's okay, really," Alana said, still holding the bar out to Daryl. "I don't really like chocolate that much."

"How—how can you not like chocolate?" Glenn asked her.

Alana shrugged. "I don't know, I just don't. I was that strange kid that walked around eating carrots instead of candy." She looked over to Daryl. "Take it. It's fine."

With a look to Maggie and Glenn, Daryl reached out and took the bar from Alana. She sat there next to him while chatting idly with Glenn and Maggie. Glenn did what he could to get Daryl to talk with them, asking how he had learned to use his crossbow. Asked him a bunch of questions; some Daryl answered. He swung his legs side to side when the focus was on him. But at one point he hit something. And each time he tried to move his leg again, there was that something blocking him. Maggie began talking and Daryl took the chance to look down at his side. Alana had angled her leg out and each time Daryl swung his he bumped right into her knee.

He sat there, his knee resting against hers. A few times he would push himself up in the chair a bit, sliding too far down for his liking, and his knee would rub right along hers. And he swore that the smile on her face grew just a bit bigger each time.

Was this what she wanted? Sitting there with Maggie and Glenn? With him? He could give this to her, couldn't he? Maggie and Glenn weren't looking at him any different. He could do this, just sit there with her. Be normal.

The four called it quits and cleaned up the small mess they had made. Maggie and Glenn parted ways with Daryl and Alana as they got to their cell. With a look over his shoulder Daryl reached out for Alana, pulling her back before she could pass his cell.

"We alright?" he asked her in a whisper. The past week had been a quiet hell for him. It must have been the same for her. Their time together had felt strained and what had begun in the medical ward between them hadn't been continued. A small part of Daryl was actually relieved about that. When he had felt her hand brush against him his mind had gone pitch black. The evenings they had spent together afterwards were simplistic. He held onto her more than anything else. Didn't want to begin something again only to have himself shut down. And she hadn't smiled at him. Alana hadn't smiled at him and he was still hating himself for it. But just tonight she had. She had enjoyed tonight. Didn't matter to him that Maggie and Glenn had been there. She had looked at him and smiled and that strain in her eyes was gone.

Might have been cocky of Daryl to think so, but he believed he had done fairly well tonight.

Alana only nodded to him in answer, twisting her wrist in his hand so that she could brush her fingers over his. She went into her own cell, leaving Daryl out on the balcony alone. Before going into his cell, he looked down the row to Carol's.

In the morning Alana came by to wake him. He had stayed in his cell, not trusting Glenn to keep from sticking his head in. Alana moved on to wake Maggie and Glenn. The two of them headed to the cafeteria to find something to eat while Alana and Daryl went to the restrooms.

Daryl came out and began heading down the halls, his mind set on the office room. He knew Alana would come and meet him there. But as he turned into hallway he came across Carol. She had a shawl wrapped round her.

"You be careful out there," she told him with a worried smile.

"Ain't going out there alone," he said, biting at his thumbnail. Why did this woman always have to show up at the worst times?

"I know, but…"

"But what?" Daryl questioned.

"I just worry about you is all," Carol answered. "You've been spending a lot of time with her."

Daryl didn't care much for defending others. Far as he was concerned, others weren't him. He had defended Rick that once because he was just tired of hearing everyone else talk shit but unwilling to do anything themselves. People could say shit about Merle too. Hell, half of it was likely true anyways. And Daryl might defend him, he was his brother after all, but he wasn't foolish to think that the things said about him weren't true. But for someone to attack Alana…he had heard the things Carol said to Alana before. Heard what she said about her to Lori. But hearing Carol just speak of Alana to him when Alana wasn't there to defend herself, it set something off inside of him.

She cowered away though she tried to stand her ground against him. He had meant to keep his voice low, but the more he kept talking, the louder he became. "She's mine to look after! You hear that? Mine! Sick and tired of hearin' ya talk shit 'bout her. Don't need ya breathing down my neck—or hers!" Carol held a hand up, trying to get a word in, but Daryl wouldn't allow it. "I told ya to leave her the fuck alone! Hell, leave me the fuck alone."

Carol found a spot to get her voice in and said, "I've just been looking out for you! You want your friendship back, you can have it!"

Daryl threw his arms in the air, shaking his head. "Friendship? _Friendship?_ That's what ya fuckin' think this is? Everyone knows you just followin' me round cuz ya ain't got shit else to do! Why don't you go mother a walker? Huh? Don't need you. Get that? I don't need ya!"

Her tears were lost on him; Daryl stood his ground, hands on his hips, as Carol turned around and left. He was sure the others had heard him. Was sure someone would be coming by soon to see what was going on. Soon as someone saw Carol crying her little heart out someone would be coming. With heavy steps he stomped his way down the halls. Daryl ignored the looks thrown his way, intent on getting his shit together and heading out to the car to wait.

Alana stood hidden inside the office. It wasn't until Daryl had walked past and his steps faded that she emerged from behind the door.

**Can I get an Amen? Amen the hag has been put in her place! With the way I started this chapter with Carol I just knew that I had end it with her being shut down by Daryl. But….I'm sure you all caught that he did not say anything about him and Alana being together. Hmmmm who else thinks that might come back to haunt him? Or maybe it'll haunt Carol? That's what you all want, isn't it? For Carol to get what's coming for her? Hehe you Carol-haters are awesome! **

**I can safely tell you all that we have now made another step forward in the relationship between Alana and Daryl. He's finally put his foot down and, for lack of a better term, marked his territory. **

**So, question time!  
>What do you think will be the affect of Daryl's little blowup? Will things finally go back to how they were between him and Alana back at the farm? Or maybe he'll just start spending time with her in front of the others? <strong>

**What do you think Alana's reaction is going to be? **

**And Carol! Think that evil hag is going to try and play the victim? Or maybe she'll just shut her mouth and keep to herself? **

**Review review review! And who knows, if I get enough motivation from all your reviews, perhaps there will be another early update (: **


	59. Chapter 59

**Another long chapter! So real quick, thanks to everyone who reviewed! Thanks to all the new faves and follows! **

**Enjoy! **

What had he just done?

What the _fuck _had he just done?

Daryl ignored the eyes that he felt following him as he had come back into the cellblock. The majority of the group was woken by the shouting, but had chosen to stay inside their cells. Rick, being their fearless and gallant leader, had been the one to step out, trying to find the source of the trouble. Lori was missing from their cell; Daryl caught her shadow gliding down the hallway that lead to the cafeteria.

"Morning," Daryl said forcefully when Rick wouldn't stop looking at him as he passed by. He clamored up the steps, not caring about how much noise he was making. His pack was ready to go, leaning against the wall in his cell. Daryl grabbed it, along with his crossbow and the makeshift quiver he had made.

When he reached the bottom floor the rest of the group was stirring in the cells. If he had looked, Daryl would have seen that they all kept their heads down, doing their best to move at a regular pace and not the slow, cautious speed that came with awkward situations.

He bypassed the cafeteria all together. He knew that was where she had likely gone off. Wasn't that what women did anyways? Get angry or depressed, go bake some crap. The cars were parked between C and B-Block and Daryl headed straight for them. He tossed his pack into Alana's car, slamming the door shut behind him as he pulled himself up into the front passenger's seat.

He was really wishing the others would hurry the fuck up so they could leave before Rick came walking out with his cowboy strut. Daryl was past talking to anyone at the moment. After the shit he had just spewed, what he needed was a chance to sort through it, figure out just how big he fucked up.

If there was one thing Daryl didn't like, it was people staring at him. He knew after what just happened that the whole group would be watching him. And it wasn't like he could just walk away; unless he felt like getting chomped on by walkers.

Daryl slammed his fist against the door.

His day was fucked.

Only the slightest of relief came when he spotted Glenn coming out from the prison, two packs on his back. He had been sent out there by Maggie, told to keep quiet and keep an eye on Daryl. The both of them had been in the cafeteria when Carol entered, eyes red and tears evident on her face. She had wiped them away, feigning a smile towards them as she headed into the kitchens. Lori wasn't far behind her; her head was hung but she looked up through her bangs. A slow exhale and a wary glance of the eyes towards the couple and they knew something had just happened. Lori mouthed 'Daryl' to them and that was when Maggie quietly pulled Glenn out of the cafeteria.

Daryl could see the twitch in Glenn's steps as he approached the car. He opened the back door and swung the packs onto the backseat. He was ready to snap at him, to tell the others to hurry up, he didn't have all day. But Glenn shut the door, stiffened his shoulders, and walked back to C-Block. Once inside, Glenn went straight to Rick. Maggie joined them; she looked up and saw Alana coming out from her cell, pack in hand, and jerked her head to the small circle. When Alana reached them Glenn spoke quietly.

"He's just sitting in the car."

"Did you say anything to him?" Rick asked with apprehension. Glenn shook his head. Rick looked over to Alana. "Do you know what happened?" She shook her head. Maggie repeated, so that Alana could hear, of how Carol had come into the cafeteria. Rick held a hand up. He looked to Alana again, his face set. "I think it best if you guys just leave now. If we have to, we'll sort things out after you get back." His eyes scanned over Maggie and Glenn, who nodded their heads along with Alana. He poked into his cell and grabbed two walkies, testing both before handing one over to Alana.

Partings took place mostly inside the prison, in the cellblock. Everyone was keeping their distance. Alana strangely did not feel like anyone had their eyes on her. From the hallway she had looked into the cafeteria in passing, seeing Lori setting plates on a table. She looked up for a moment as they went by. She had the face of one that was trying to hold together shards of glass with bare hands. Carol could be seen moving around in the kitchen. Alana looked away quickly. Michonne and Dale had followed the trio out, along with Rick. Up in the guard tower, Andrea looked down on them all. The group stopped before reaching the car and they did their best to not look over at Daryl.

Rick rested his hands on his waist and looked at the trio. "Just get what you have to get done and head back. Look out for each other." He pulled the walkie out from his back pocket and checked it again against Alana's.

As the trio began walking over to the car Dale followed alongside them. "What happened?" he asked Alana as the two of them headed over to the driver's side of the car.

Alana hung her head, turning away from the car. "Guess she crossed a line," she said in a quiet voice.

Dale held the door open as Alana got in and closed it for her. He did the same for Maggie who was sitting behind her. He, along with Rick and Michonne, went to open the gates. The windows were rolled down as they pulled up just outside the fences. Rick hung onto Alana's door, eyeing the four in the car.

"Be safe," he told them.

Daryl kept his eyes forward, trying to ignore Dale who was standing just right there at his door. "Radio when you get there," Dale told them, looking past him to Alana. The strained silence between them all was piercing on the ears. When he saw Rick step back from the car, Dale did the same. Daryl was so tensed that he didn't even flinch when the old man patted his shoulder before stepping away. In the side mirror Daryl could see Michonne pulling one of the gates closed, her head up and eyes staring right back at him. For the briefest moment her eyes shot over to where Alana sat behind the wheel and she smirked.

Daryl would have given up drinking and smoking and cursing if they could just come across one walker. Just one. That's all he was asking for. Just one to distract himself from his thoughts and to get the focus off of him. Because he knew that was the train of thought in the car; him. Glenn had that lump in his throat that wanted to jump out, he wanted to say something to Daryl. Maggie just sat back there—Daryl could see her out of the corner of his eye. She spoke up a few times, to Alana, not once mentioning anything of what had happened at the prison. Alana remained quiet for the most part. The only time she spoke to Daryl was in truth when she spoke to them all, saying to keep a watch out as they drove.

The road was deserted running along the country club. The quartet sat in the car for a moment, watching everything around them. Alana turned about in her seat. The only cars nearby where parked next to the houses they had searched. Hanging lightly over the steering wheel, she pointed over towards them.

"We'll move those two cars," she told them, looking over to the first house. "We can…make it look like a wreck." The idea she had was to make it look like one of the cars had been coming out from the driveway and crashed into a car on the road; it'd take up enough space on the road that if anyone tried to come through they'd have to move at least one of the vehicles. When no one disagreed with her plan the four got out from the car and did a quick check of the area.

Maggie stood on the road while Alana pulled the car up a bit. Daryl and Glenn headed over to the house with the other vehicles. Though the area around them was rather open-spaced, Daryl walked around the house to check for any walkers. When he came back around Glenn was standing over by the cars. That baseball cap of his did nothing to hide the shaky movement of his eyes. When he walked up to him Glenn quickly said something about there being no gas in the cars. Daryl snapped at him to release the break in the smaller car; they could push that one onto the road, then push it into the crossover parked at the house.

Each time Daryl wasn't looking, either Glenn or Maggie was staring at his back. He was even pretty sure Alana was watching him too. He didn't have a clue what she had heard about what happened with Carol; he was just glad that she hadn't been there when he snapped at the woman.

With the second car in place, Daryl and Glenn headed to where they had pushed the first car to. Alana had once again moved their car, this time past the house so that they themselves wouldn't be blocked by the two vehicles. Glenn cringed when they stepped back from the small car and watched it snap back from hitting the other car. Alana walked over, pulling a knife from her side and shoving it into the steering wheel, setting off the airbag.

"Best if we wait here a few," Alana told the other three, looking over the area. Though there hadn't been that loud of a collision between the cars, it was best to stick around a bit. In case any walkers were nearby and heard it. Daryl huffed at the decision, but kept his mouth shut.

Alana stuck with Maggie as the four stood around on the road. A few times she looked towards Maggie and would catch her eyes on Daryl. And then Maggie would look to her, before finally looking back down the road. Alana quietly sighed. She finally grew tired of peering down at her watch and told the others they should go ahead and start back to the prison. As the four walked over to the car Alana could see Maggie and Glenn glancing at Daryl's back. He walked ahead of the other three, yanking the door open. She was certain that with the tension running through him being so much that a gust of wind would snap Daryl right in half.

He was pulling himself up into the car when Alana stepped past him, reaching out for her own door. She had never seen him so angry before—quietly angry. But she couldn't say anything to him, not at that moment. His brow remained tensed when Alana brushed her fingers against his wrist as she moved past him. She didn't know if it had done anything for him, he still looked royally upset. Could have just been in her head, but the almost rhythmical tapping of his foot against her seat on the drive back gave her some hope that he was calming down.

She hoped, for everyone's sake, that no one approached him once back at the prison.

It was just a bit before lunchtime when they got back and were greeted by Rick and Dale at the gates. Alana pulled the car into its spot and Daryl was the first to jump out, grabbing his things and stalking off towards C-Block. Rick watched his back as he came up to Alana and the others.

"Everything go well?" he asked, still looking over to Daryl.

"Yeah. No walkers. We blocked the road then came back," Alana answered.

Rick glanced over to Maggie and Glenn, a look that told them he was waiting for them to walk away. The two quickly caught on.

"He say anything?" Rick asked Alana as she took her time grabbing her things.

"Nothing." Alana took a look around the prison grounds. Dale and Hershel were closing the gates. Andrea was up in the guard tower. "Back here?"

Rick shook his head, stepping back while Alana slung her things over her shoulder and shut the car door. "Can't get a word out of Carol. Lori's tried, she's acting like nothing happened. And no one was around, no one heard or saw whatever happened. Look, it isn't my place—"

"You're right. It isn't. It's Daryl's. You were the one to tell him to sort things out, weren't you? Well I'd say he's sorted it out." Rick sighed, nodding his head. "So let's just do what this group seems to always do, mind our own business and pretend nothing is wrong."

Alana knew that no one would be daring enough to approach Daryl. Well no one aside from Dale. But if he wanted to get his head bit off by Daryl, Alana wasn't going to stop him. So she trusted Daryl to be fine on his own for the day; she herself would have to prepare for others coming to her. It was only a matter of time before someone came up to her to ask what had happened. And then others would follow.

Daryl, for his part, disappeared once tossing his things in his cell. And no one went looking for him. Alana was sure that he had gone back to B-Block, to hide out in those cells. And it was a shock to Alana that no one jumped her back the moment she returned. Took nearly an hour before Maggie came to her with questions.

"What is going on with Daryl? And did you _see_ Carol this morning?"

The two women were in the greenhouse, filling baskets with potatoes and various leaf greens. One collected while the other planted more seeds. Both had put on extra layers. Alana thought it outrageous that instead of getting warmer as they reached the middle of the day, it actually became colder.

She looked up towards the doors out of precaution, not wanting anyone to drop in on their conversation.

"Carol must have said something to him. Must have not liked what she had to say."

"Oh come on!" Maggie said. She ended up slamming a packet of seeds down. "Cut the bull, you and Daryl are still together, aren't you?"

Alana turned towards the entrance with jerky movements. She kept her head down, only looking up to Maggie for a few seconds at a time. "I don't know what we are."

Maggie walked around to the other side of the row where Alana stood. "So he finally put Carol in her place?" she asked with eagerness in her tone and eyes. Alana nodded, saying she guessed he had. "So…have you two been together this whole time?"

"What? No. No." Alana paused in her vegetable gathering for a moment. "Still not quite sure what we are, if anything." She then paused again, looking over to Maggie with a wary eye. "What do you mean, 'finally put Carol in her place?'"

Maggie shrugged her shoulders. "I try to help out any way I can around here. So, I see a lot of things. And I always see him. Looking at you. He'll stick around in a room if you're there, but anytime it was Carol, he'd find a way out just like that." Alana's face fell; another person to add to the list of knowing about her and Daryl. "I haven't said anything! Promise. Not even to Glenn. I thought, maybe I was just being silly, hoping you two didn't hate each other."

"No, we don't hate each other." The lingering silence itched for Alana to keep talking, but it was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'd rather stop talking about this," she said to Maggie who only nodded with a solemn face.

The two parted ways in the cafeteria; Maggie remaining behind to prepare the vegetables and Alana heading back out to walk the fences. It didn't take long before she heard another set of feet behind her, catching up, step by step.

"So, how goes the war against raging redneck emotions?" Michonne asked once she was alongside Alana.

"How long have you known?" she asked her without missing a beat, squinting her eyes against the sun.

"Oh, since we three got here. I'm telling you, he's _always _had those puppy eyes for you," Michonne said with a matter-of-fact tone. "Bit funny if you ask me, you wandering round, him following you, _her_ following him. Whole time that woman hasn't realized, no one's chasing after her crazy ass." Michonne asked what Carol's whole story was. She'd only heard tidbits.

"Lost her kid. Husband before that. From what I gather from Dale, man used to beat on her."

"And she took it."

"Yeah. She took it. So he dies. Then her kid goes missing, shows back up a walker." Alana looked over her back to C-Block. "Daryl had gone looking for her. For Sophia. Was certain he'd find her alive."

"And Carol thought he actually cared about her, he just wanted to find the little girl."

"I don't know," Alana answered. "I don't know what that woman has been thinking all this time." She scratched her head, thinking back to the farm. "Guess she was just looking for someone to care for…maybe it went to her head or something."

"Well," Michonne said, watching as someone walked out from B-Block. Daryl. He was walking with his head down, back to C-Block. "Crazy like that, it doesn't just go away."

Alana ironically laughed. "Yeah, it gets trained how to shoot guns and then tries to put a bullet in my head likely."

But Michonne shook her head. "She wouldn't try that. Your little redneck wouldn't approve of it. She wouldn't be stupid enough to even think about it."

Alana was left wondering what then she would think of doing.

The day passed and Alana felt like that revolving door was back. Rick and Maggie and Michonne. When she felt eyes on her in the cellblock—Glenn and Lori—Alana thought going to the guard tower was a good idea. Apparently, that revolving door knew how to climbs stairs.

She had only been sitting down for a few seconds before Andrea spun round in her chair, elbows resting on the desk behind her. "I can't believe Michonne knew this whole time and never told me," she said to Alana with a shake of her head.

Alana considered just getting up and leaving. What did this make now? Five? Five people who knew.

"I…have nothing to say on the matter," Alana commented after thinking over what she could possibly say. She didn't want to talk to anyone, but some sort of damage control had to be done. Had to make sure no one would go off and say the wrong thing in front of Daryl. Needed to make sure people weren't given the wrong impression about them.

"I threatened to shoot him the other day," Andrea said with a snicker. "Told him if he crossed a line with you I'd shoot him. Guess I should apologize." After a moment both women shook their heads, laughing. "Well, from what I've heard from Dale, Carol's been Carol all day. Whatever Daryl said to her, there isn't a trace of it on her face. Acting like today is just like any other."

"Do me a favor, yeah?" Alana asked after a while. Andrea nodded. "Make sure everyone keeps their mouths shut about this?"

Andrea smirked. "Isn't that what this group always does?"

Andrea's words rang true when Alana walked through C-Block; there was Carol, acting as if nothing had happened that morning. She was gathering up dirty laundry; Alana saw that Lori held her clothing and Daryl's. At least she wouldn't have to worry about her clothing coming back torn to shreds. Lori nodded her way as she headed upstairs to her cell. She stayed in her cell as much as possible for the rest of the day; it seemed that while others still wanted to talk to her, none were willing to step foot on ground where she had the advantage. Alana had seen Daryl sitting in his cell. Seemed that no one wanted to step foot in his cell either.

The two kept their heads down for what was left of the day. It irked both of them that Carol was going around as if nothing had happened. It irked them that the group was walking round like nothing had happened. They were surely talking about them to one another, but still going about like nothing was wrong. Whether talking or not talking, Alana and Daryl were not pleased.

The group had for so long kept their heads down when it came to personal matters. It was not unknown amongst them while at the camp outside Atlanta that something was going on between Lori and Shane. Wasn't their place to say anything. Even when Rick showed up, alive and well, the group kept their mouths shut. Hell, Rick kept his mouth shut and he knew not ten minutes being at that camp that something was strange between his wife and best friend. Alana had been right earlier, as well as Andrea. The group would keep quiet about today. They'd show just enough concern to still appear human, and then all would be forgotten.

When it came time for dinner Alana was anticipating seeing Daryl, but found herself breathing a sigh of relief that he chose to take his dinner outside the cafeteria.

He ended up going to the guard tower, kicking Andrea out. Keeping in mind what Alana had said to her earlier, Andrea didn't say anything to rile Daryl up. She grabbed her things and left. Daryl took her chair, tossing his book on the desk and hunching over. His eyes skipped over the fields. He had kept himself busy during the remainder of the day reading _A Game of Thrones_. He had about fifty pages left. Daryl made a mental note to not start the next book till Alana had a chance to catch up.

With the way everyone had been acting since he got back, Daryl had begun to think that perhaps he wouldn't have to worry about anything. No one had approached him, scolded him. And Carol must have said nothing about his blowup that morning. It figured that she wouldn't say anything. But it didn't go unnoticed by him how the others were cornering Alana, likely asking her what had gone down. They'd all be disappointed though, he thought. She hadn't been there. There was nothing she could add to the gossip for them. He knew that she wouldn't give them away, she'd keep him and her secret. For him.

Sitting up there, it hit Daryl only harder how much he wanted to be Alana at that very moment. For the entire day he had just wanted to be at her side. He would have thought it stupid, before Alana, that just being in someone's company could be comforting. But now it was all he wanted. It was thoughts like this one that the nagging voice in his head told him it didn't matter what the original cause was, truth was that he wanted Alana. Wanted to be with her. He tried pinning down that exact moment when it happened, when he realized he wanted to be with her. But he couldn't. First meeting her back on the highway, no, he hadn't wanted her then. His interest was sparked by her, that was certain. He was wary of her and Wilhelm. From the start he had an eye on her, untrusting. Then he just didn't care; had found her and Wilhelm to be annoying with how they followed him around like servants, asking what they could do to help _him_. And instead of going to Rick with their thoughts, they came to him. Even asked for his thoughts. Then that lack of caring changed at some point…he just didn't know what that was. Next thing he realized, Daryl wanted Alana.

That night on the farm, with the walkers. That was it, he thought. What was when he unknowingly admitted he wanted Alana. It had been that night when he felt flooded with regret of lost opportunities.

And here he was, sitting up in this stupid concrete tower. Alone. Lost opportunities? They were passing him by every minute.

Daryl's eyes snapped to his right as he saw a figure come out from C-Block. For a second his heart thumped up to his throat, and then fell back in place.

Dale.

It had to be Dale.

The old man climbed his way up the stairs, balancing two plates in his hands. He came inside and sat down, putting a plate next to Daryl. He pulled a bottle of tea from the backpack he carried. He followed that with a fork and napkins. He sat on the other side of the small room, not saying a word while he ate. After a moment Daryl began to eat from his own plate. His foot tapped on the floor; just waiting for Dale to say something.

He never did though. He remained quiet, eating his meal slowly. Looking out the windows from time to time. Daryl finished his meal and pushed the plate away. He remained scooted up towards the desk, forearms resting on it, shoulders hunched over.

Dale looked down at his watch. Was nearly time for the start of his shift. He was sure Daryl was aware of it; he had brought his pack up with him after all. That was a dead giveaway he had first shift that night.

The start of his shift came and went. Daryl remained still. Just over three hours went by before Daryl stood. The others should be in bed already, he thought. He could move around without bother. He stood, gathered his things. Dale had already taken their plates back to the cafeteria and dumped then in the sink.

"Daryl," the old man called out as he was heading for the door. Dale sighed. Daryl turned round to look at him, to snap at him, but Dale wasn't even staring his way. He was looking out towards the sky, ducking his head down a bit, trying to see the stars. "You don't owe anyone an explanation. For anything. You remember that. Whatever any of us may think, it shouldn't matter one bit to you." He nodded his head, as if agreeing to some thought he kept to himself. "I'm happy you and Alana are okay…Wilhelm would be happy too."

Daryl left with his head down, Dale's words floating round in his head. He pushed them aside. He didn't want to think anymore for the night. Inside the prison most of the group members were in their beds. He had heard voices in the cafeteria, chatting, but Daryl didn't bother to look in and see who was in there. He just wanted to get to his cell. And he wanted Alana to be in there. At the top of the stairs, Maggie poked her head out from the cell she shared with Glenn. She held up two fingers on one hand while the other shook the bottle of whiskey.

"I already told Alana," she whispered as low as possible. "Figured we could really use a drink now." Maggie gave a hopeful smile. When Daryl nodded gave a full smile, ducking back into the cell; she and Glenn had put sheets over the bars as well. She popped back out to tell him they were meeting in the library this time.

Daryl went into his cell, dropping his things, and lied back on the mattress. He waited for the two hours to pass. When he heard Alana creep by, he counted to sixty then crept out too. There was a low light bouncing down the hallway before him, disappearing into the library as he turned the last corner. When he entered, holding a flashlight of his own, a scowl instantly formed on his face.

All he saw was Alana and the bottle of whiskey sitting on the nearest table.

Alana turned round to see Daryl standing in the doorway. She had a blanket wrapped round her and a double pair of socked feet were poking out from underneath it. The light from her lantern bounced around.

"I think we've been tricked," she said rather calmly. She walked over to the table and took a seat, pulling the bottle towards her, still grasping the corners of the blanket. Daryl closed the door and joined her. There was a second where he didn't know where to step, left or right, but found himself taking the chair next to her, pulling it closer and sitting down at her side. If he just turned to his right he could see out the door and into the hallway. Alana unscrewed the cap on the bottle of whiskey and tossed it on the table. She looked silly, tilting the bottle towards her as she took a sniff of it. She scrunched her nose up, wiping at it with the other hand. With a deep breath, Alana took a quick swig. She shook her head as the liquid went down. "I don't understand why people willingly drink that," she commented while wiping at her mouth and pushing the bottle towards Daryl.

He shook his head as he picked up the bottle. "Don't drink it 'cause it taste good. Drink it 'cause we fuckin' have to," he told her before taking a deep gulp. He could see the astonishment on Alana's face when his didn't scrunch up from the taste. With another deep breath, Alana took the bottle back and took another swig. At some point she'd stop making faces, she thought.

Alana pulled her legs up, crossing them in the chair and rearranging the blanket around her. Daryl caught a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath it. Looked like a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve thermal shirt. They sat in silence while passing the bottle back and forth. Neither really wanted to say anything about the day. Daryl knew the others had been speaking with Alana. And she knew none had gone and spoke with Daryl. Well Dale had. She was certain he had, up in the guard tower.

"What do we do now?" Alana asked when she couldn't take the silence between them anymore. She hugged the blanket around her, not understanding how Daryl couldn't be freezing; he was wearing what he had been all day. Just pants, a shirt, and jacket.

He shrugged, turning the bottle in his hands. It was half empty. "Keep surviving," he suggested. Without meaning to, Daryl slammed his fist on the table, but Alana didn't flinch. "She made me fuckin' do it. She just…"

"I know," Alana said quietly, her head down, playing with a thread on the blanket. Daryl turned to look at her. "I was in the room. I was going to look out, see if you were coming, but then I heard her."

Alana's head had become heavy when she heard Daryl yell at Carol. _She's mine to look after. Mine._ The words kept repeating in her head. His? At the same time she remained grounded. Daryl still hadn't said anything pertaining to the fact that there was something between him and Alana. Was still giving the impression that he was looking after her. Taking care of her. No mention of the fact that it was more than that.

_Mine. _

It was still something. He had marked her as his.

_Mine._ His words came back to him and Daryl questioned why he had said it that way. He questioned what Carol had made of it all. Maybe she would leave him alone now. Leave Alana alone.

"We'll figure things out," Alana told him and Daryl raised his head, looking to her with that ever present squint of his eyes. She took another drink from the bottle and rested her head on his shoulder. Daryl grabbed the cap, twisting it back on and pushing the bottle away. He was feeling the slightest of a buzz. She may have been German, but Daryl was sure Alana was feeling the same, being as tiny as she was.

Alana sat back up straight, adjusting herself on the chair. She took the moment to look over at Daryl. In the low light she could see the tiny scars splattered down his neck and the couple on his face. The scabs had come and gone, leaving behind the light, minute scars. In time they would fade away. She was sure of it. The ones that riddled his torso and back, those would always remain though. Without much thought, Alana reached out, brushing her fingers over the side of his neck, feeling the change in texture as she felt the scars. She could see the scowl on his face and she pulled her hand away.

Daryl didn't understand why she was feeling his scars. All this time she had rarely touched him. It had always been him that would touch her. But he always felt at the same places. The safe places. He looked down at her, at the blanket wrapped tightly round her body.

"Cold?"

Alana nodded her head.

Daryl grabbed the bottle and pushed his chair away from the table, standing up. "Come on," he told her. He picked up the lantern and led the way out of the library, stepping lightly and walking slowly. At the steps in the cellblock Alana gathered up the bottom of the blanket, climbing up the steps. Her steps nearly faltered when they reached Daryl's cell and he held the sheets back. He had turned the lantern off by then. Alana kept her head down as she stepped past him.

Daryl set the bottle of whiskey down on the floor before turning the lantern back on, setting it as low as possible and then sticking it next to the bed. He started taking his boots off while Alana laid her blanket down over the others. As she straightened back up she saw Daryl approach her. Her body went slack as his hands reached out for her. He grabbed at her nape and waist, holding her close to him. With slow movements Alana raised her arms up, wrapping them underneath his own arms. He lowered his head and kissed her, only stopping when he felt her hand fall to his side, slipping under his shirts. Touch always felt different on a scar than it did on unmarred skin.

Alana sighed, resting her head on his chest. With a listless look on her face she backed away from him. "Please…" she murmured. "I don't _care_ about them, you know that. If anything, I care about mine. Just, after today," Alana said, running her hands through her hair, "I need this. I need something."

Daryl didn't answer her. He stepped past her, pulling back the blankets. Alana wouldn't wait for an answer. Perhaps it was the liquor in her that pushed her forward. She followed behind him as he tried to lie down. He pushed himself up against the walls knees bent. Alana crouched down on hers before him, scooting till she sat between his. Daryl rested his arms on his knees while Alana reached out and rubbed her hands over his neck. She tilted her head from side to side, squinting in the low light. Feeling him tense under her touch, Alana reached a hand up to run through his hair, smiling.

"Hair's getting long," she mused, pulling lightly at his sides. "You have little tails."

"Yours looks a mess," Daryl said back to her, eyeing how her hair sprouted out in every direction. "Hobbit." Alana smiled.

Alana began rubbing at his shoulder, her other hand resting on his leg. She looked up cautiously to him. "You okay?" Daryl chewed at his lip and shook his head. He didn't want her to keep touching him. Touching his skin. The only touch he had ever known had never been a kind one. He was unaware of how to react to this one. Alana pulled at his wrist while she leaned back, lying down on the bed. She guided him onto his back as she lied down at his side. Grabbing his hand, she pushed up her shirt, resting it on her back. Over the scar that ran down it.

As Daryl began running his fingers over her skin Alana pushed herself up, moving to straddle his waist. His hand fell from her back and Alana reached for it, grabbing the other and placing them at her hips. She leaned down and gave him a chaste kiss while cupping his cheeks, running a thumb over the stuble.

He had to give her this, Daryl thought. They couldn't stay where they were forever; Alana would never be content with that. She had been this patient with her, he could at least make this small step. He turned his face away from her, looking for the lantern. Reaching out for it, Daryl turned it completely off. He wanted as little light as possible. He felt less vulnerable this way. Alana sat up fully atop him and for a moment he didn't know what she was doing, squinting in the darkness at her form. When she came back down towards him Daryl grabbed at her arms to steady her, coming in contact with her skin. Underneath her he jerked, trying to move his hips. Alana planted her knees firmly into the mattress. She grabbed his hand and brought it to her cheek, turning just enough to kiss his palm. It gave him a warmth and Daryl couldn't stop from running his hand down her neck, resting it just above her chest. Alana pulled back slightly and his fingers grazed over her bra. His other hand gripped suddenly at her waist; Alana moved herself over him, instinct and desire guiding her. She pushed herself against him and Daryl gripped at her waist again, trying to stop her.

She leaned back down towards him, bringing her face to his. "Trust me." Alana sat fully upright and stayed still against him. She found the hem of his two shirts. She unbuttoned the top one and helped him to sit up just enough to shrug it off before pulling the undershirt over his head. He lied there as she ran her hands over his chest, feeling at the scars. His breath hitched each time her fingers grazed over one. She would stop, resting her hand over it and then lower her head. She didn't kiss his skin. She only rested her lips over the scars, like she was trying to breathe them in. To make them go away. Without realizing it, Daryl had begun to raise his hips against her as she continued touching him.

He became confused and worry flashed through him when Alana pulled herself up, sliding over to his side. He held her face as she kissed him. A coldness set into his chest when her hand left it. He tried to push her lips away when he felt her tugging at his jeans, but Alana kept her lips against his, telling him, "Not yet." Her hand slid over him;Daryl kept trying to move away from her, but her fingers wrapped around him and he was lost. Alana rested her cheek against his while his hands gripped and clawed lightly at her back as a warming sensation ran through him.

There were moments where she lifted her head to capture the noise that escaped his mouth. His back arched slightly up, his grip on her relaxed slowly and Alana relented her hold of him. His chest rose and fell heavily. He fell asleep with her pressed firmly against him, feeling her heart beat gently against his.

**Bam!**

**Sneaky Maggie and Glenn, sticking Alana and Daryl alone with that bottle of whiskey! Sneaky sneaky! **

**No questions for you all this time round, just, what did you think of this chapter? Haha, be sure to review. Review! Any and all thoughts you have, whether it's about this chapter, or what you think should happen next, leave it in a review! **


	60. Chapter 60

**I'm on a roll people! Already starting work on the next chapter! So just real quick before we jump right into this new chapter, LadyLecter47 if I can find a way to get more Jim Jefferies jokes into this story, I'm totally doing it (: **

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During the night Daryl untangled himself from Alana and slipped out from under the covers she had pulled over them. Zipping up his pants he put on a shirt and jacket. He slid his boots on, moving over to his pile of belongings. With quick glances over his shoulder he pulled out his stashed pack of cigarettes, then headed outside. He really had no idea why he had come outside; the cigarettes had just been an excuse for what he didn't know. Daryl looked up over to the guard tower. It was still too dark for him to tell who exactly was up in there. With a last glare he looked away, huddling into himself as the cold wind blew. He continued puffing away; his hand shook slightly in the cold and he stared at it, remembering what Alana had done to him. What he had let her do.

He finished the cigarette and went back inside. He stood over Alana for a moment, watching her sleep. She clutched the blankets around her tightly. When she rolled over towards his side Daryl could see her brow scrunch in her sleep and her hand reach out over the mattress. As if on cue, her eyes began to open then. At first she stared at the empty space next to her, and then she looked up, seeing him standing there. She checked her watch, thinking it was time for her to leave, but it was too early. Daryl removed his boots and jacket, lying back down in bed with Alana. He raised an arm up, knowing she would find her way into the crook underneath. There was a chill to his skin and Alana instinctively began rubbing at his arms and chest. That he allowed her ministrations was reassuring to Alana that he was not shutting her out. The full extent of what had taken place only hours prior began to completely set in for her. Alana began to worry if Daryl would think it had all been because of the alcohol they had shared together. It _had_ aided in shutting that warning voice in her head off at the very last moment. And surly she had not been drunk. She recalled everything that had happened. Every touch. Alana wondered if Daryl did as well.

The way he absentmindedly brushed his hand over her shoulders told her he did remember it all. The glint of his eyes looking up at the ceiling was just visible in the dark. He looked to be thinking. Daryl had the odd sensation that he was being watched. He turned and looked over at her. Alana held up her wrist to look at the time again.

"Morning," she whispered.

Daryl scoffed quietly. "Go back to sleep."

When Alana awoke again the sun was beginning to shine through the sheets hanging on the bars. Daryl was already up, sitting on the edge of the mattress, elbows resting on his knees. He was chewing at his thumb while staring at the wall. When he felt her move he looked behind to her. He said, "Morning," and adjusted himself so he could lift the blankets, allowing Alana to sit up. He just sat there watching her as she reached over to the floor to pick up her shirt. He saw the swell of her breasts and was at a lost for anything aside from wonder and confusion.

How was it that she was there? With him? Why was she willingly there?

As she stood Daryl did as well, watching as she wrapped her blanket back around her for the few steps back to her cell. "What do you want to do now?" she asked him in a quiet voice.

Daryl scratched at his brow, glancing over towards the sheets that cut them off from everything else. "Can be like it was back at the farm," he said after a thought. He wasn't about to go skipping down the hallways holding her hand, but he could manage being at her side. He had already been doing that for the past week, what with all the training and walker clean up. He could try just spending his free time with her now. That was another step forward. Daryl watched her face for a reaction. The small smile and nod of her head told him he had said the right thing. Made the right choice. "Ya have a watch today?" he asked her and Alana nodded. "Bring your book, I got 50 pages left."

Alana slipped out from his cell, going into her own to grab fresh clothes and her boots. She had been joining Michonne and Andrea in the mornings in the gym. The three would exercise for an hour before catching a late breakfast without the rest of the group. When she made it to the gym the other two women were already there. And Maggie. Soon as Alana walked in she saw that sly smile creep onto Maggie's face as she attempted to avoid eye contact.

"What happened?" Andrea instantly asked, seeing the interaction between the two women.

"Nothing," Alana muttered.

When the women finished up Alana stalled. During that hour she had had to avoid question after question from the three women. All concerning Daryl. Even Michonne had joined in on the questions. All she would tell them was that they were simply surviving. Doing what they needed. When Andrea had called it _using each other_ Alana had been quick to deny it. That did nothing but peek their interest even more. "None of you were concerned about things back at the farm," Alana then said, "so there's no need for concern now."

"You really aren't going to say anything about him, are you?" Andrea had then asked.

"No, I'm not."

As Alana walked out from the gym Andrea was standing there. She gave a sad, yet admirable smile. "He must really be something." Alana could only nod to her.

For breakfast they ate oatmeal. Axel had waited behind to eat with them and sat at a nearby table since Maggie was with them. He chatted randomly with them, asking how much they could bench-press, if they thought they could knock the various men in the group on their asses with one punch. He told them of what the plan for the day was, far as Rick had told everyone. Every day during breakfast he always had a little talk with the group, letting them know what the plans for the day were, even if there weren't any plans. Perhaps he felt that telling them it was going to be a lazy day helped add to the feeling of normality. Axel was finishing his thoughts and plans for his lazy day when Daryl stopped in the hallway, seeing Alana at the table.

"Grab your crossbow, got walkers to kill," he told her. He didn't wait for her to say anything before walking off.

"That's alright," Axel said quietly, "I didn't want to finish my sentence." Maggie and Andrea laughed at him. "Later little German," he told Alana as she stood up and left.

Alana headed to her cell, grabbing the gear she needed and throwing on her jacket. She wiggled round a bit in her jeans, trying to hoist them up higher on her waist. She had been in need of new bottoms and went through the boxes of clothes that had been raided from homes. She had lost a bit of weight and it felt like what she really needed were half-sizes. She'd try on one pair of pants and they were too small, the next was too big. What helped was wearing a pair of tights underneath. Wasn't much, but it did add a bit to her waist and helped keep the pants up. Her belt helped too.

Daryl was waiting at the fences when Alana came outside. T-Dog and Glenn were at the gates. Because no one had been wandering about outside the walkers hadn't piled up against the gates yet. They were dragging themselves slowly through the fields. T-Dog had looked around, getting a rough count of the walkers. There were about seven, spread out all around the prison.

"Ready?" Daryl asked Alana when he turned around and saw her coming towards him. She nodded her head. Both of them could feel the eyes on their backs. T-Dog and Glenn turned away and began opening the gates. At the noise the gates made, the walkers' heads perked up. There were two at the front who came straight for them.

Daryl and Alana stood not far away from the outside gate, Glenn shutting it behind them. Both took aim with their crossbows and waited for the walkers to get closer. Daryl shot his bolt off first, the walker falling without grace. He looked over to Alana, reloading his crossbow, just in case. Alana's shot found its mark. She too reloaded and then they looked round, deciding whether to go left or right. Alana knew better than to ask if they should split up; Daryl would never agree to that. He wanted her at his side. At his side he could protect her.

They walked around the prison, taking out the walkers one by one. Daryl would look over to those who were standing outside, knowing that they were watching them.

"Do you think it will snow?" Alana asked out of nowhere after pulling a bolt out of the head of a fat squat man. The meat on his chin had been chewed off and she could see the white of his bones.

"Maybe," Daryl told her, counting one walker remaining on the other side of the prison. It hadn't seen them yet.

"I miss the snow," Alana said, almost to herself and Daryl frowned.

"It don't snow here like it does in your 'motherland.'"

Alana laughed. "That's okay. I always hated having to shovel the walkway." She looked over to Daryl and saw him watching the prison. It looked like Glenn and T-Dog were still over by the gates. Hershel was up in the guard tower and Axel was walking round with Carl. Daryl felt like they were all looking at him. "They're not going to say anything," Alana said to him. "I made sure of it." When Daryl turned back to her, she added, "I thought that's what you'd want, to be left alone."

What he wanted. Her words carried an unintentional sting with them. Had last night occurred because she thought he wanted it? He admitted to himself that in a way he had wanted it—he had never thought explicitly about that very thing. But his thoughts had wavered many times, thinking of her in such sexual manners. Last night couldn't have possibly been just because Alana had thought he wanted it though. There had to be more behind it; last night wouldn't have happened if she wasn't on some level wanting it as well.

Alana had abandoned that voice that cried out in warning because of a fear. The tiny fear that Daryl might back away from her again. Even now out there in that field Alana wasn't sure of how Daryl would fully react to things now. To a certain extent Carol now knew he intended to be at Alana's side and the group knew what had begun at the farm was still intact.

Daryl fell back a step as they approached the last walker, watching while Alana held up her crossbow and took aim. He came forward to retrieve her arrow for her. With the walkers taken care of, the two of them returned back to the prison. Alana glanced down at her watch; she had a few hours before her shift began up in the guard tower. Not quite sure of what to do with herself, Alana went into her cell and lied down, grabbing her book.

She wasn't sure if Daryl would come in after her or if he would wander off on his own, keeping away from the rest of the group. If she had been a fly on the wall, following him around, she would have seen the scowl that was stuck on his face. It kept everyone from bothering him. Alana didn't run into him until about midday when she headed out to the guard. Rick was coming down, just exiting the door. When his eyes shot over her shoulder Alana turned around, seeing Daryl not far behind her. Alana nodded to Rick as he held the door open for her. It closed behind her, but reopened when Daryl began his ascent up the stairs. Both tossed their books down as they sat, dumping their belongings on the floor.

Alana didn't know if Daryl would remain sitting on the opposite side of the room. Wasn't sure of just how more comfortable he had become with her within the past 24 hours. It was a small joy she felt when he rolled his chair over next to her. He flipped his copy of the book open and started reading. Alana did a double take, seeing that she had nearly tripled the amount of pages left to read compared to his. When Daryl saw her peeking over at his book he instinctively scooted away a bit, trying to hide the content on his pages. Alana asked him when he had read all those pages without her.

"Yesterday," he answered. He flipped the page, a quick glance over the fields.

"Ned's going to die, isn't he?" Alana asked with a dull sourness. Daryl only shrugged his shoulders. With a scoff, Alana knocked her leg sideways to hit him, shaking her head.

"He's the idiot trustin' Littlefinger," Daryl muttered, flipping another page.

Alana snickered. "He's the idiot that married a Tully."

Alana continued making small comments here and there as she read on. Both of them would look up every few sentences, eyes running over the fields. After an hour in Daryl had closed his book and all Alana could do was sit there and stare at it with disgust. She mumbled about being a slow reader and then asked if Ned died or not. Daryl once again shrugged his shoulders, pushing back from the desk and spinning round to look at the land surrounding the prison. He looked down towards the prison grounds. Carol and Lori were outside. Hershel was over in the greenhouse with Axel and Carl. Glenn and Maggie he had seen heading over to the garage to tend to the horses.

The back of his neck began to tingle and he couldn't become comfortable in the chair. It felt like someone was watching him. Daryl's eyes roamed over the prison grounds. He didn't see anyone watching him, but still, he was left with an unnerving feeling. Like as soon as he looked away there were eyes looking back up at the guard tower. He remained still for a moment as his eyes lingered over C-Block, where Lori and Carol were hanging up and taking down clothes. Carol never once turned round to look although she had seen him walk out behind Alana and follow after her. It didn't look like she was saying anything to Lori concerning himself or Alana. A short bout of panic struck him as he thought that perhaps somehow Carol had heard him last night. And if she heard him, who else might have? He knew he should have stopped Alana the second her hand had moved to the zipper on his pants. But he had tried, he reminded himself. And soon as she had gripped him Daryl was left with no willpower to stop her.

Just thinking over it had Daryl wanting to take her back to his cell. With a quick grimace he adjusted himself once again in the chair; he couldn't be thinking anything like that at the moment. If he had any sense he would have gotten up and left, put some distance between them for the rest of the day. He needed to be away from her so he would stop thinking of the night before. But he stayed right there, keeping any eye out while she finished the book.

The two stayed up there past dinner that evening. Glenn brought up two plates for them. He stood at the entrance as Daryl stood and took them from him with a blank face. Glenn smiled sheepishly when Daryl turned around, looking over to Alana. He said he would come up later when it was time for the first shift. The two ate in silence; Daryl was once again self conscious of how he ate with her there. When she asked him about seeing him that night he didn't say anything until swallowing the bite of food in his mouth. He ended up telling her to come to his cell, it allowed a bit more privacy. Alana made the suggestion that she'd put sheets up on her bars the next day; in her cell they'd be just that more far away from the others.

There was about an hour before Glenn would be returning and both had long finished eating. Alana had managed to reach the end of the book. She'd also managed to let out a string of curse words in German. Daryl caught something about 'Tully' and 'Ned.' He watched as the sky became darker. Looking over to Alana he saw that her shoulders were slumping more and more. She was ready to go to bed. Just sitting up there all day had set into her. For his part, Daryl was wide awake. He had spend the whole time stealing glances at her, remembering her skin against his, her hand on him. He had spent the whole day trying to figure out what to say to her about it all. A 'Thank you' sounded like something Glenn would say. He most certainly wasn't going to say that.

Daryl sat looking out the opposite side of the tower, his back to Alana. It seemed like the best way for him to speak to her. He needed to say something about the night before. Each time he tried to open his mouth to speak though, nothing came out. How was he supposed to start such a conversation? 'Hey, thanks for the handjob. Was real great. We should do it again.' Daryl didn't even let himself wonder over what Merle would have said. It would have involved something insulting to him, he knew it. His mind ran through every possible thing he could say or ask. The words began to build up in his head, all falling together to form the most obvious thought.

"Why?" Daryl asked, his back still to Alana. He took a second to complete the question. "Why me?"

For that was the basis of it all, of all that ran through his head, wasn't it? The wonder of what it had been that, when that first moment occurred that peaked Alana's interest in him. And if the truth had to be stated, it was far easier for Daryl to ask her this than asking her about last night. The chance of embarrassment was far less.

Alana knew that Daryl was not looking at her, just as she was not looking at him. Daryl's voice rarely took on a tone of worry. His small question to her was filled with vulnerability. If she took too long to give him an answer she wouldn't be surprised if he got up and left. He might have been willing to expose a weakness before her, but he wouldn't just remain there and allow that weakness to be assaulted in any way.

"That night," Alana began, her voice ghostly. "When it was cold, I slept on the cot with you. I woke up, and you were rubbing my back. And then you kissed me." Still they weren't looking at each other, but Alana instinctively touched the spot on her forehead. "Did my best to not think anything of it, but then later, that next morning. When we were awake, and you were still rubbing my back…I wanted you then." That light pressure fell over her back and Alana knew that Daryl had turned and was looking at her. "Tried acting as if it was nothing. Thought if I let myself think of you in that way, I'd just have more to lose. World isn't exactly filled with many happy endings now. When you got angry, I thought that was my way out of this. But after I had said it…I felt like an idiot." She insultingly laughed at herself. "I even went off and talked to Dale about it. Old man knew something was up and the moment he asked, I just let it out. If I could convince him there was nothing, then maybe I could convince myself. Thought I was doing a good job at it too that day…and then you came back. I just sat there with you in that room, doing my best to not lose it. Didn't want my crying to wake you up. Kept trying to pretend there was nothing there afterwards. But…I still wanted you. I want to survive this world, but not alone. Not with someone else."

Seeing Glenn approaching from C-Block, Daryl stood up, gathering his things. Alana looked over to see the young guy walking over to the guard tower and grabbed her things as well. With one last look over the fields she followed after Daryl down the stairs.

Back in her own cell, Alana was preparing to lie down, when Daryl came and stood there, looking at her. He had yet to say anything to her since his question back in the guard tower. It wasn't even two hours into Glenn's shift. Some of the group was still awake and moving around. Alana had intended to sleep; she was unsure if what she had said to Daryl was what he'd wanted to hear. Daryl was still fully dressed while she had already changed. For a moment she stood there, waiting for him to say something.

"Gonna take a shower. Ya can wait in mine if ya want," he said with a jerk of the head towards his cell.

Without a word Alana followed after him into his cell. She stood while he picked up a small pile of clean clothing and a lantern. He reached for a second one, turning it on to its lowest setting and placing it next to the mattress for Alana. He said he'd be back shortly and Alana nodded. Now she had the want to stay awake. She crawled under the covers after he had left and waited, doing her best to not let her eyes stay shut for too long. Thinking of what she had done to him the night before was enough to keep her mind alert. He hadn't said anything about it to her and Alana wondered what he thought of it. If he had enjoyed it, if he wanted her to do it again.

When Daryl returned Alana had fallen asleep. He had been hoping she'd be sleeping. While in the showers he hadn't been unable to stop thinking about her. He felt a sort of guilt at wanting her to touch him again, had even thought of just doing it himself. Was a lot easier than trying to ask her to do it. But then he had heard Axel shouting out from outside in the hallway, telling him to hurry his ass up. Daryl stalked out of the showers, his fresh clothes clinging to the drops of water still on his skin.

Alana was facing him and Daryl was careful as he slipped under the covers with her. He kept a distance between them, lying on his side while watching her sleep. He thought over her answer to him. She had wanted him that far back? Daryl didn't bother to wonder what she had meant by wanting him. He was more than sure what she meant. Bit by bit then it fully hit him, just how much she had given him. With her patience. And here he had thought it a big deal, the small allowances he gave her. Those moments of control that he handed over to her. It was nothing compared to what she had done for him, what she had put up with in silence for him.

Lazily Alana rolled over in her sleep, unknowingly searching for him. Daryl raised his arm as she rolled and her back came in contact with him. He rested his arm over her and closed the small gap between them. His body reacted as he thought of the night before and he felt her move gently against him as the two of them breathed. He was mindlessly running his hand over her side when Alana took in a deeper, slower breath. Daryl paused, not sure if she was awake. But then her breathing returned to normal. He made to move his hand again, this time gripping gently at her hip. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she pushed herself against Daryl. He waited for a moment, seeing that she was still asleep. He could feel himself pushing against her, but Daryl ignored the warning that went off in his mind. He continued to run his hand over and grab her, squeezing his eyes as tightly as possible every time Alana made a small noise or moved against him. A point came when he dared to reach his hand up to her neck, his arm brushing over her chest. Daryl became deathly still when he felt her grip lightly at his wrist, but his hand had never stopped moving as she guided his touch back over her. Alana let go of his hand at the hem of her shirt.

He moved entirely slow, allowing her every chance to stop him, but Alana followed his movements in removing her shirt. As she leaned away to turn around and face him, Daryl unbuttoned and shrugged out of his own shirt. Every action was paced slowly; Daryl gave in to her touches at first. Alana felt the muscles of his abdomen contract as her fingers glided over them, reaching for the top of his pants. Daryl pulled her against him, stopping her from moving her hand any further. Much as he wanted her to touch him again, he wanted that warning panic in the back of his mind to go away even more. He had to get over it, to accept her ministrations without having a pathetic freakout about it. And he had to stop thinking Alana would push him away if he tried to touch her.

For a moment Daryl just held her against him, his forehead resting against hers. His grip on her loosened when Alana tilted her head up to kiss him and then she just lied there. She was waiting for him, he realized.

"Not yet," he said. He felt stupid saying it. How many months had he known her for now? How many times had he shared a bed with her? But Daryl couldn't even think of being with her like that. What if he did something wrong? What if he hurt her? He wasn't ready to be that close to her. Daryl couldn't explain it, not even to himself, but having sex with Alana wasn't something he was ready for.

He thought Alana would be frustrated, would roll away from him. Or even get up and go back to her own cell. But she didn't. She kissed him again and turned around in his arms, resting her back against his chest. Her body was completely relaxed, not a sign of tension in it.

She wasn't upset with him.

As if to drive the point home, Alana grabbed his hand, pulling it up to her mouth and kissing his palm.

Daryl thought of everything that she had done for him.

He didn't know if she was anything like the girls Merle would brag about—he hoped she wasn't. She'd never go for a guy like Merle. Then again, she was there with him and Merle was his brother. Daryl kicked the thoughts from his head. He stuck his right arm under Alana's pillow, lifting his head up to lean over her while his left hand crept down her stomach. "Ya gotta keep quiet," he told her as he reached the waist of her pants and slipped his hand under them.

**Another baby step! Yay! Finally Daryl has admitted to himself that he has a major issue with being physical with Alana and he needs to work on it if their relationship is going to make any progress. **

**Next chapter is going to cover a week and likely stop right before we get to the group going on that town run, so, question time! **

**What little baby steps do you think Daryl is going to make during the week. Since this is Daryl, gotta keep in mind that he'll likely be more able to make progress in privacy with Alana at a quicker pace than he will be able to in public with the group members watching him. **

**So leave your reviews! If I get a ton of reviews I just might post the next chapter Friday (: **


	61. Chapter 61

**Thanks to all who have reviewed! And yay to BellaSunshine for catching up with all the chapters! Thanks to all I chatted with too. **

He must have done something right. That's what Daryl thought the next day; Alana didn't seem ticked off at him. Wasn't avoiding him. Had even lingered a bit longer than was safe in his cell that morning. She didn't seem to want to leave. Daryl had been uncertain that night before, as was evident with how his hand had moved tentatively against her. Alana had done her best to keep her hands away, to not move them over his and guide him. Instead she had moved her entire body, keeping her face against the pillow to quiet the small noises that escaped her. With the way she softly clung to him afterwards, Daryl thought he must have done something right. And it meant something to him that she clung to him.

She'd wanted him since that night he kissed her. And she still wanted him.

Though he did not know how far he personally had to go before he'd be fully trusting of her, he'd be damned if not every day he felt a bit more comfortable with her.

Daryl had thought that a tension would hang over the prison because of what he'd said to Carol. There was a caution in the air certainly, but just as Alana had told him, no one bothered him. The looks were there—oh how they were there—but nothing was said. Sometimes he'd catch a member of the group looking over to him and Alana, that thoughtful haze over their face. Daryl had told Alana that they could go back to being what they were at the farm. It felt like the rest of the group were doing the same thing. His choice of companionship with Alana was not questioned, only silently accepted. Whether they believed he and Alana were platonic or romantic, no one voiced their thoughts or asked about it.

He didn't move his things into her cell, nor did she move her things into his. They spent most of their nights together. Still, no one ever saw either coming out from the other's cell. There was no display of affection between them in front of the others. Daryl had worried for a short moment that this lacking would bother Alana, but it didn't. Perhaps it was because he was becoming more physical with her in private. While passing each other in the hallways he'd reach out to brush her side as he had so many times back at the farm. And he'd openly accept her brushing against him. Sometimes he wouldn't even try to reach out and touch her arm as he passed, simply taking in her touch of him. He'd pull her into the office they frequented often and just hold her there, running his hands up and down her sides. To others it could be viewed as impersonal, sexist even, the way he would touch her. Grabbing at her hips, waist, arms, throat. Applying enough pressure to leave her skin paled where his hands had been. It was all Daryl's way of getting closer to her. Closer to freely accepting her as well as himself. What they were; together.

It was a Tuesday when Daryl took a first step in interacting with Alana in front of the others. Alana had insisted staying awake that night before so that she could begin reading _A Clash of Kings_ and not wanting to just sleep while she sat awake (Daryl also really wanted to know what that Lannister dwarf was up to) Daryl stayed up with her, both reading their books. It turned into a competition to see who could read the chapters the fastest. With the late night spent flipping pages Alana passed on going to the gym with the other women in the morning. She gathered another hour of sleep back in her cell before Maggie came checking in on her, telling her that breakfast was ready. It had been that day that the sitting arrangements began to change.

Alana had taken a seat at her table with Michonne and Axel. Andrea was fixing her plate, Daryl at her side. He followed her eyes to the table and back to him. He trailed behind her as she walked over to sit down. But she sat instead at the next table, with Dale. With his head hung, Daryl took her spot at the table with Alana and the others. Only a few seconds went by before Axel was off chatting away and Daryl strangely felt in place. During more meals the seating would change again. Michonne may swap seats with him, or Axel would. Alana would come and sit with him and Dale. Every now and then it would be just him and Alana. It was a calm peace when, during lunch, he would come across the cafeteria empty by chance. He and Alana would sit in there in silence munching away on whatever food they had. Both relished that they could sit there in silence without it becoming awkward. There was much exchanged between them that didn't require speaking.

Daryl had found it a bit uncomfortable for the first few days, having Carol practically ignore him just as she did Alana. Ignoring them is a rather strong wording. She did acknowledge their existence, but Carol didn't interact with them. She did her part and that was it. She spent her time mostly to herself unless she was helping with the wash or cooking. She didn't help out in anything else really. While the others were spreading the responsibility of guarding the prison, she kept to the 'womanly' duties. Everyone was becoming more versed in protecting themselves as well as the group, but not Carol. She had spent some time with Rick and Andrea, learning how to use firearms, but the woman had quickly passed on it. Because her choice to not participate occurred shortly after her incident with Daryl, no one tried to push her to reconsider. And though some in the group held a sliver of concern for her, none thought to act since she was not alone in not taking part in the training. Lori, being pregnant, did not participate either. She knew the basis of firing a gun. With her condition, it was the only weapon she could use that wouldn't require much physical exertion.

Her pregnancy had finally begun to show; Hershel figured that she was somewhere around three or four months pregnant. They had been at the prison for just about two and a half months now. It didn't feel like it, even with the lack of things to do other than patrol and kill walkers. The time likely seemed to fly by because they lived week by week; gauging the passage of time by when another supply run would occur.

Lori had stopped heading up the stairs to drop off clean clothes. She could still manage it, but with the fuss that the others threw, it was a battle she didn't have a care to win. She had originally been hesitant, watching Carol every time. Wanting to make sure she didn't do anything that would cause trouble. She didn't. She'd drop everyone's clothes just inside their cells and carry on. Never paused for even a second at Alana's cell. Even set her clothes down in a simple nice pile, just like all the others. Sometimes Maggie would handle the clothes instead and it gave Lori a chance to let out the breath she'd be holding.

While the rest of the group slowly reached a point where they no longer cast masked glances towards Alana and Daryl, Lori continued to watch them. One morning she had seen them moving about in the kitchens; everyone else had already eaten. She saw how Daryl hovered over her and how as she turned away to put a dish up he brushed his hand over her back. Lingering there until she was fully out of reach. No one still knew for certain what Alana and Daryl were. That wasn't of much concern really for any of them, aside from Carol. And Lori really was the only one that worried over it. The others had all seemed to not care anymore. Carol the constant victim was no longer how they viewed her. But caution still had to be taken with her. Some people…to tell them the truth would be disastrous. For some the truth was not something to be coped with. It was to be defeated by. Lori looked to Carol and saw someone too fragile for this world. It was a wonder that she had survived the world as it was before.

That morning she saw Alana and Daryl, Lori approached the latter outside as she watched Carl play basketball with Axel. Daryl was returning from walking the fences. He had gone on his own. Alana was up in the tower with Andrea. It was a very simple conversation. Only she spoke. She told him, "You need to be aware of who sees you two together." That was all. One simple sentence. But with Daryl, it seemed like the simple things were the hardest and vice versa.

Around lunchtime Alana knew something was bothering Daryl. He quickly told her of what Lori had said to him. She found the older woman outside taking down clothing from the lines. Carol was not in sight and Maggie was slowly heading over from the greenhouse. Alana waved her off and came up behind Lori. She wasn't sure what clothing belonged to whom, and so she simply held up the boxes as Lori pointed them out, folding the clothing up and sticking them in.

"I appreciate what you're doing," Alana said, "but anything else you have to say in the future, I'd appreciate it more if you came to me. Daryl…is Daryl." Lori said she was only looking out for the group. She relayed her thoughts on Carol being fragile. Alana echoed her words. "Some people weren't cut out for this world."

"That's why you two should be careful."

Alana smirked. "Don't worry, I highly doubt she'll ever walk into the cafeteria to find us slow dancing." Her smirk faded as she looked over to Lori more closely, seeing a remnant of a past on her face.

"I know why Shane is dead," Lori said, her tone scolding of herself. "If I hadn't said some things…if I had said something else…he'd still be here."

Alana hung her head for a moment. "Yeah, well, it takes two." She could see a pale spark in Lori's eyes and Alana's own became hard. "Doesn't mean you didn't have a hand in driving him crazy. Because let's face it, that's what happened. He lost it. And you can look at me like that, think I'm a rude bitch for saying it, but it's the truth. You're…a bitch. Plain and simple. You seemed to like me, then you hated me, now you like me again. Maybe it's those pregnancy hormones. Maybe you've had a epiphany. Or maybe it's just because you'll need my help when that baby comes."

"Rick's always been the peacekeeper," Lori told her after a silence passed between them. She hadn't known how to react to what Alana had said. "Sometimes all I wanted was for him to yell. To get angry. I always felt like the bad person, just for raising my voice, for wanting a fight."

"And now that he's stepped up…" Alana said.

"I feel out of place." Lori looked down at the small belly forming on her. "I'm pregnant, we're living in a prison, there's walkers out there, my husband killed his best friend…because of me. If the world had stayed the same, I don't even know if Rick and I would have lasted much longer. Probably hasn't moved to his own cell because of this baby. And…I don't think it's his."

"Guess that says a lot about him."

Alana started stacking the boxes of clothing, ready to carry them inside.

"I'm sorry," Lori began, before they started walking. "I could have been kinder. Should have been." There wasn't just one reason behind her changing attitude towards Alana. It had been external and internal elements that contributed. "Back at the farm, Andrea had pointed out that I tended to be a…bitch."

Alana shrugged, adjusting her hold on the boxes. She looked over to the tower to see Andrea. Maggie had gone over to Carl and Axel, joining in on the court. Michonne was preparing to go outside the fences with Glenn and T-Dog to take care of a few walkers in the distance.

"I think bitches tend to survive longer in this world."

When Lori smiled sardonically it was like the past had been put to rest.

It was the second to last conversation having anything to do with Carol that Alana had. The last was with Dale. He had kept uncharacteristically quiet on the matter. He had spoken with Daryl, that much Alana knew. Didn't have a clue what he had said to him, but she had seen him up there in the guard tower with Daryl that one day. She was fairly certain Daryl hadn't said anything in reply to his words. Judging from his attitude afterwards, Alana wagered that whatever Dale had told him didn't upset him.

Alana regularly talked with Dale, even if it was on trivial matters. It was out of the norm for a couple of days to go by without the two speaking. It made the sight of him heading towards the guard tower one day in the afternoon welcomed. Alana was also glad that he had the sense and courtesy to speak with her in a private manner.

At first he commented idly about the day; the weather. A light rain had passed through that morning. Everyone moved around outside on the concrete with a wariness. A very thin coat of ice had formed because of the drop in temperature. There had been thermostats in the greenhouse; Hershel had taken a few and placed them outside and inside C-Block and also the guard tower. Judging from the readings a cold front must have come in with the rain; 35*. Alana sat up in the tower with her lumberjack hat on and her jacket. Had even gone through the boxes of spare clothes and grabbed a hoodie much too large for her. It fitted nicely over her jacket.

Dale unscrewed the cap to a thermos and the steam quickly escaped upwards. It was soup. He held it out to Alana who at first simply wrapped her hands around it, relishing in the warmth it sent through her skin. She really needed to get some gloves, she thought as she looked down at her fingers.

"Hopefully this weather will get better before you head off," Dale said with a sigh.

The group was set to leave in four days. Alana didn't think the cold front would stay that long, but if it rained again, the roads would be tricky. And having to stay out on the road at night, the low temperatures wouldn't be appealing.

"Rick had mentioned holding off on the run if things don't let up," Alana told him, finally taking a sip of the soup. It was just chicken noodle. She didn't care though, all that mattered was the warmth it provided. Tasted very much like plain chicken broth.

"Well, it's for the best. Wouldn't want to be stuck out there in this." A slight frosty tint could still be seen on the grass in the fields. They hadn't seen a walker all day. None had even wandered out during the night. Alana asked Dale about possible snow. "Oh, I don't think it would snow much. Georgia isn't exactly known for it. Might get a couple inches. Nothing to be concerned over though. It's the cold we ought to be minding."

Alana nodded her head. Though the others had told her winter in Georgia wasn't all that bad, what with the temperature usually falling between the 30's and 50's, the fact that they had no heat source raised concerns. They very well couldn't turn on the generators; they'd run right through their fuel collection. And no one was too keen on starting any fires inside the cellblock. They could use a kitchen pot or anything else that'd stand the fire and heat, but no one had a desire to be breathing in the smoke. And besides, starting a fire would mean someone had to watch it.

From up in the guard tower Alana and Dale spotted Daryl coming out from the cellblock. He was followed closely by Rick. There weren't any walkers in the fields, but that looked to be where they were heading. It must have been his appearance that prompted Dale to speak. Neither had said anything about Daryl up to that point. It felt like listening to Lori all over again.

"You should be mindful. You and Daryl. I spoke with Carol a few days ago."

Alana snorted into the thermos, her eyes on Daryl's back. She wanted to know where he and Rick were off to. They had opened the gates and were walking out into the fields. "Thought we were done with all this," Alana said.

Dale shook his head lightly. His tone suggested that he felt the need to speak, to release some sort of guilt.

"I was just checking on her, wanted to make sure she was doing alright." Alana rolled her eyes. "She's seemed fine so far…" And that was warning enough that something wasn't right. "I don't think she really understands you and Daryl." Alana looked over to him, waiting for a further explanation. "The two of you aren't very open. It's almost as if you aren't…whatever it is you two are. I'm glad you two worked things out, told Daryl the same."

"But…"

"None of us can even put a label on what you and Daryl are, Carol included. Now you two have every right to privacy. Every right. But just…keep in mind that if you and Daryl became _public_ there might be some bumps in the road."

"What exactly does she think Dale?" Alana asked.

"I don't know. But I do know that she doesn't see—doesn't let herself see—what the rest of us see. Between you and Daryl."

WDWDWDWD

Rick had asked Daryl to come with him out into the fields. Said he wanted to move some of the walker bodies around. Usually they allowed them to pile up where ever for a few days and then they'd go through the fields, dragging the bodies to particular spots. The prison was uphill and so Daryl, as well as Hershel, had suggested situating the bodies close to the prison. They could have used the truck to toss the bodies in; would have made the task much, much easier. But the truck called for fuel and Rick wasn't about to waste it on something they could do without it. He pushed a wheel barrel behind Daryl as they took steadied steps over the slick grass.

Bringing Daryl out with him also gave Rick a chance to speak with the man without any worry of curious ears being nearby.

"I told Alana if this weather keeps up, we should wait on sending a group out," he told Daryl as they lifted a corpse and dropped it in the barrel. "Actually wanted to talk to you about the run."

"What 'bout it?" Daryl asked, none too happy that he clearly had been duped into coming out there with Rick just to have this conversation.

"I'm sure you'd be more…comfortable if you went out on this next run. But it was my idea to go and check out this town, so I'd appreciate it if you stay back here and keep an eye on things."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever. Someone gotta stay back while ya go play Columbus."

Rick figured it was a loss cause, trying to get an opinion out of Daryl concerning Alana. The man still acted as if there was nothing there between them. He thought it best to just leave things as they were. "Going to pick out the group tomorrow," he told Daryl as they were finishing up. "Have a talk with them. I'd like you there." Daryl only nodded to him. Coming back through the gates Rick added, "I need to have a talk with you and Alana." A tension set in Daryl's shoulders, but he agreed before walking off from Rick, leaving him to put the wheel barrel back.

Both Daryl and Alana were pleased that Rick took them away from the others whenever he wanted to speak. It was the next day and close to 7PM; sun was going down and the temperature had dropped. No one was outside except for Axel up in the guard tower. Rick had led Alana and Daryl over to the library to discuss things. He laid a map out on a table, pointing quickly to the town he intended to make the run to.

"Hershel says it's a small town," Rick began, taking a seat. Alana didn't hesitate to sit down next to Daryl on the other side of the table. Daryl did his best to not fidget in his chair. "And Maggie tells me there are some shops on the outskirts, said they were building strip malls out there."

"So no heading _into _town," Alana commented.

Rick shook his head. "No, we'll just check those shops and head out. Maggie knows exactly where they are, so she's going with us. Also knows a couple different routes there in case something comes up."

"Who else is going?" Daryl asked.

"Michonne and Axel. I know we usually just take four, but I think we'd all be more comfortable with five going." He had approached them earlier and all agreed to go on the run.

"We planning on staying the night out there?" Alana asked Rick. She knew it was the question lingering on Daryl's mind.

"I think…if we head out first thing in the morning, maybe we might be able to get back within the same day. But we should go ahead and plan on having to spend the night away from here." He looked from Daryl to Alana. "You okay with that?" he asked without specifying whom the question was directed at. Alana was the first to nod.

"Yeah. Aim for one day, plan for two," she said.

Plan for two. Daryl kept thinking over it during dinner while he sat with Alana. The group would be leaving in two days, if the weather didn't stop them. Daryl spent every moment he could at Alana's side, no longer caring if the others watched him. Long as they weren't saying anything that he could hear he didn't care.

But he found himself counting down the hours till when the group left. Never before had 48 hours gone by so quickly it seemed to him. Yet still he ignored the impeding departure of Alana. She did the same. Both kept busy in their own ways. Daryl did checks of the prison, making sure the fences were in good condition. Checked that weapons were readily available. The few walkers that had shown up, and been dealt with, Daryl chopped them up, dragging the parts up behind the prison along the treeline. Anything to cover their scent. To keep others away. He did everything he could think of to keep a repeat of the last run from happening. He wanted everything to be ready for when the group returned. Alana prepared the car along with those who were going with her. She didn't say anything when Daryl stood around for too long, watching her. He made comments, asking if they thought they were bringing enough food, enough weapons, enough blankets. "Ain't any of ya been camping? That ain't enough shit," he told them.

That night Daryl lied in his cell alone, bitter. It looked like a tradition had been started. Those going out on the run were holed up in the cafeteria eating a late night snack. He had heard Axel walk by, calling out to Alana in his hoarse voice to get down to the cafeteria. Her steps were quiet as she passed Daryl's cell.

With Rick there, Daryl wasn't surprised when footsteps were heard once again. Everyone returning to their cells. The group was leaving at first light. Daryl was just beginning to sit up when the sheets covering the bars were pushed back and Alana slipped in. She had that same blanket wrapped around her again. Her hand poked out from under it, showing a bag of Skittles. As she crouched down on the mattress next to him she held it out to him. She said something about not liking the purple ones. She reached over to the lantern and turned it on to the lowest level. Daryl took hold of the Skittles bag, setting it down on the floor behind the mattress. He pushed the covers back and scooted over.

"Best not try any hero shit out there," he told Alana as she crawled onto the mattress. She smiled and gave a small yelp when Daryl carefully pulled her atop of him. His hands rested on her hips. Alana let the blanket drop from her shoulders, revealing her swimming in the grey hoodie. Daryl bunched the blanket up and tossed it to the side while Alana reached up to remove the chain from her neck. She leaned down to clasp it round Daryl's, tucking the rings under his shirt.

He did nothing more than hold her to his chest for the night, breathing in her scent, saving the feel of her skin to memory. She had fallen asleep quickly, her hand clutching lightly to the hem of his shirt and a leg hooked on his. Daryl tried to push the knowledge away that in the morning her alarm would go off and she would get up. She would leave.

The thought blurred and Daryl fell asleep. He was awakened by someone shoving at his shoulder. It couldn't have been morning already. At first his eyes opened to Alana, seeing her there still sleeping. Then he turned the other way and saw T-Dog. He kept saying something about a deer. Out in the fields. And then he was gone. Daryl lied there for a moment. Who the fuck did he think he was, just coming in like that? Daryl looked back to Alana, still asleep. With agitation and anger he slipped out from under the blankets and headed outside. Sure enough, there was the deer, just wandering like a fool out in the fields. Daryl had grabbed one of Alana's rifles.

"Think you can hit it from here?" T-Dog asked, squinting in the dark to see the deer. It was up along the side of the road. After slowly opening the gates Daryl took a few steps out and fired a shot. The deer staggered for a second before its legs gave out underneath it. T-Dog didn't bother to contain his excitement, slapping Daryl on the back and taking off to collect the deer. Daryl remained quiet as they carried it back. He was just waiting for T-Dog to say something about Alana being in his cell.

But that something never came.

T-Dog asked what they should do about the deer. "Just put it in the greenhouse," Daryl told him. "Cold will keep it."

The two stared down at the deer after dumping it in the greenhouse. Daryl and Hershel could clean it later. T-Dog was rambling about all the meals he could make with some fresh meat. He suddenly remembered he was supposed to be up in the guard tower and walked off. With nothing to glare at except the dead deer, Daryl went back to the cellblock.

Alana was exactly as he had left her, clinging to the sheets on the mattress. She woke when he took his boots off and lied back down. "Where did you go?" she asked in a half-sleep state.

"Killed a deer," Daryl told her quietly, raising an arm so she could rest against him.

She was quiet for a moment and then mumbled against his skin, "Son of Bambi. Come for revenge."

"Yeah, well, he's dead now."

"…dinner."

WDWDWDWD

The morning came and the group woke. Alana went from cell to cell, waking those who were going on the run. They moved around slowly, meeting up in the cafeteria to eat a quick breakfast. Alana was returning from the restrooms when she turned down the hallway and saw Daryl there, waiting outside the office. She followed him inside, closing the door behind her. They kept a lantern in the office now; Daryl turned it on to a low setting and placed it on the desk. As Alana came up behind him, Daryl reached out for her wrist, guiding her up against the desk. With her lower back pressed up against it, Daryl stood between her legs. He cupped her cheeks and leaned down to kiss her. He had become more gentle and more sure of his actions, though his every movement was still lined with a roughness. Alana sighed, leaning forward against him, her arms draped loosely over his shoulders.

"I'll be back before you know it," she told him.

Daryl turned his head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I'll get Son of Bambi ready for ya," he told her.

Alana pulled back, her nose scrunched up. "What?"

"Ya remember last night?" Alana shook her head. "Shot a deer out in the field. Ya called it Son of Bambi." Alana began to laugh. "Said it came lookin' for revenge."

"And now it's going to be my dinner."

"Yeah, ya said that too."

He gave her a last kiss before pulling away and leading her out of the office. He stayed in the background as the group prepared to leave. The others were awake and up, ready to see the group off. Dale was there, rattling off like an old man paranoid of everything and thinking no one but him was capable of taking care of themselves. He told Rick and Alana that if the weather went bad to turn around and head back. If the temperature dropped, head back. If one of them got a hangnail, turn around and head back. As knowledge of the deer in the greenhouse circulated, the group was just a bit more determined to return back that same day. Everyone lingered longer than usual; this outing was different. They were going further than they had ever before and might possibly spend the night away from the prison. Everyone tried to keep those thoughts from creeping up in their heads. Hugs were exchanged all around, backs were slapped, and shoulders squeezed.

"You'd think we weren't coming back," Michonne muttered to Alana while they stood over by the car. Alana scoffed and smiled. There was an awful lot of care in the air.

Axel must have been tired of all the queuing everyone was doing to say good luck to those leaving; he barked out, "Well we gonna go or what? Freezing my balls off out here."

Michonne turned to get into the car, flashing a smirk to Alana. Alana nodded over at Rick who was speaking with Daryl. He walked over towards the car. Alana was turning away to open the door and get behind the wheel when Dale came up behind her. He had yet to give her a hug. She laughed and nodded as he told her the same things he had already said about turning around. People were getting last minute hugs in; Alana looked up from Dale and saw Daryl coming forward. He must have planned it, Alana thought, watching the look on his face as he grasped Michonne's arm and nodded at her. And then he was looking to Alana. She might as well have been Glenn with the way he hugged her, keeping one arm at his side. But the hug, it was all part of his plan.

Right before pulling away from her Daryl said, "Watch your back." Alana nodded. Once in the car she felt like her head was still nodding, filled with air. Daryl had been quick about it, saying the words as he pulled away; it left Alana questioning if she had even heard correctly or if the wind had picked up and played a trick on her ears. But looking in the side mirror back to him, Alana had no doubt about what he had said to her.

"Love ya."

**BAM! So Daryl beat Alana to "I love you." Totally seems fitting though. Next chapter will pick up with what was going through his head and why he chose to say it to her at that moment. And…we'll also check out this town the group is going to. You guys have any thoughts about what might happen there? **

**And get ready, next chapter is going to be….well it's going to be interesting. I'll leave it at that. Hehe, I have some little plans up my sleeve that I think many of you will enjoy (: It looks like the coming chapter will run longer than usual, lot of stuff to get into it and I just can't bring myself to cut it in half, but I will do my best to get it written and up in a week (: **


	62. Chapter 62

**Apologies for the, what, two week delay? Uni work has just been piling up higher and higher! It's like scaling a mountain! **

**There was much more I wanted to get done in this chapter, but I chose to stop at this halfway point and post what I have for you guys since I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I'm going to try and get something else up in a week if possible. If not, then in two weeks I'll have something for you guys. The next chapter will have some great stuff in it though! I can promise you guys that! **

He had been thinking about it for a few days by the time that morning had come around. How he felt about her. Daryl reasoned with himself that if he cared about her then he must love her. It wasn't something he had experience with. But when Daryl thought of what would happen, what he'd do, if Alana didn't come back from the run, he drew a blank. And panic set in. He thought that must have been what it was like to love someone; not knowing what you'd do if someone was taken from you. He always hated it when Alana went out on a run without him. He'd stew over it for a few days before the run actually happened and he'd float around in his thoughts until she came back. He still wasn't sure of what was the best way to see her off each time. Looking to the others was of no help; they all hid the fact that some if not the entire group may not return. It was easier to pretend everything would be okay. But they still took that small precaution, seeing the group off. Getting that possibly last smile or joke or hug in. Just in case. Daryl could never decide what to say to Alana. He played a fool like the others, telling her to be safe and come back. He'd hold her tight against him in their privacy. He'd kiss her. That morning he had woken before her alarm went off, after T-Dog had come and dragged him out to kill that deer. She had rolled away slightly from him in her sleep, sprawled out on her back with her head turned from him. He didn't know how much time he had before she'd wake up and leave. Daryl reached out under the covers and ran his hand over her stomach before moving over her. He buried his face in her neck and knew she was awake when her hips moved up to meet his.

He had thought to himself the same thing that always came to him. He wanted to remember every detail about her, to remember what she felt like against him. If he could preserve those things, and if she didn't come back, maybe he'd be able to hold onto her memory just a bit longer. He pushed his hand under the hoodie she wore and reveled in the warmth of her skin as he scorched the feel and shape of her to memory again. He was fascinated by the dip in her shape just above the hipbones and he pressed his thumb against it. A movement on her part caused Daryl's hand to slide under the waistline of her pants. He gave in to her want and when he had rolled away to give her the chance to catch her breath Alana had been quick to follow after him. Her hands found the top of his pants and Daryl did nothing to stop her as she took her turn to release the tension in him.

Daryl had felt disgusted in a way at first over the matter. He had no qualms with pleasuring her, but he hadn't quite gotten over that for him things tended to be somewhat messy. And it felt strange that Alana never showed any distaste over it; that she never shied away. He would come and he'd know that he had spilt over her hands, against her stomach if she hovered over him. But she never said anything. She'd move quietly, reaching out for a towel that always seemed to be lying around there somewhere.

He was much more used to things now although he still felt a tinge of guilt afterwards. It went away each time thankfully when Alana showed no hesitation to lie at his side again. It helped that they remained in bed together. Things would have been different if afterwards either got up and left. Those had been the girls Merle preferred. Ones that got up and left afterwards or didn't throw shit and yell when he got up and left.

The new level of intimacy had the wheels in his head turning constantly and the strings in his stomach taut with fragility. Must have been what caused him that moment of weakness—or perhaps clarity—to tell Alana that he loved her. The tiny fear that hid in the corner of his mind had something to do with it as well. And (the reasons seemed to be piling up) it did bother him in a quiet manner that Alana always gave him that chain and two rings to hold onto to, but he had nothing to give her in exchange. Saying he loved her though, that was something to give her.

He was still getting over the fact that he had said he loved her after the car had driven off. Had shocked himself that he had actually said it. Truth was, he hadn't planned on saying it at all. He hadn't even been thinking when he walked over there to her. His head had a plan of its own and he was in the dark. Soon as he said the words though that brain snapped back to attention, ready to do damage control on himself.

He had said he loved her.

Did he?

Wanting time to be alone, Daryl made sure everyone knew what they were doing for the day and then headed off to the greenhouse. Hershel met him there. Daryl took control of the conversation. He looked round the greenhouse quickly then back down to the deer that laid on a tarp. "I'll take it out, clean it up," he told Hershel while pulling at the end of the tarp. He was trying to decide where exactly 'out' was when Hershel piped up.

"Well we have those water hoses right here, be easier to clean up afterwards in here." He looked over to a corner of the greenhouse that didn't hold much. "Can set it up over there if you want."

Seeing that Hershel had a point Daryl gave in, dragging the tarp over to the far corner. He found rope and strung the deer up, tossing the rope over one of the exposed beams. The group hadn't even eaten breakfast yet and so Hershel quietly left Daryl to himself. Daryl's attitude came in handy; any time someone came to check in with him they left rather quickly. It probably helped that there was a strung up gutted deer too.

Daryl looked over his shoulder when Glenn came in. The young man paused for a second, taking in the sight. He had seen Daryl clean plenty of squirrels and even rabbits back at the camp outside Atlanta. But seeing that deer, it looked like someone had turned its skin inside-out. And why did he have to look at its eyes? He really shouldn't have done that.

"What ya want?" Daryl asked as he shoved a hand into the opened belly of the deer, pulling out the organs and dumping them on the ground at his feet.

Glenn looked away for a second, taking a steady breath while trying not to inhale the smell in the air. "There's a walker, out in the field. Me and Hershel are gonna go out and get rid of it. Take the horses out too."

He left without another word to Daryl who kept his back to him.

Daryl tensed when Carol came into the greenhouse, standing back and watching him as he finished up with cleaning the inside of the deer. He didn't once look over to her. He knew just by the foulness that filled his muscles that it was Carol.

"Need any help?" she asked him quietly.

If he gave her an answer, she'd leave. If not, she might start talking. Say something about him and Alana.

"Gonna need something to put the cuts of meat in," he told her.

Carol smiled although it was unseen by Daryl. With quiet steps she left the greenhouse, heading to the kitchens. Daryl shook his head; figures that she would wait till Alana was gone to come up to him when no one else was around. It was sad and annoying that he had actually found himself wondering when the woman would try something again. He was just waiting for her to come back with the pots for the meat, waiting to hear her begin to utter Alana's name.

It was T-Dog who came instead. He carried a few large pans stacked in his hands. He gave a long low whistle at seeing the deer strung up, a large smile plastered on his face. "Gonna eat like kings tonight," he said, coming to stand off to the side. He started listing off the different things he could make with the meat, different meals. Kept going on about a roast he could do with the potatoes and carrots they had. At the mention of Alana's name Daryl snapped his head over to T-Dog.

T-Dog scoffed and laughed. "Man, you been listening to anything I'm saying over here? I said, Alana's gonna flip when she sees all the food. Girl might be tiny, but she eats like no one's business."

Daryl didn't say anything, going back to cutting pieces from the deer and dropping them in the pans T-Dog had set on the ground. The silence must have bothered T-Dog; after a few minutes he leaned in though there was no need to and asked Daryl a question.

"She say something again?" Daryl shot him a look from the corner of his eyes. T-Dog shook his head, coming forward to hold the deer in place while Daryl began cutting the flanks. "Gotta not care what that woman thinks or says, man. She's living it up in her own world. Let her."

He realized T-Dog was speaking of Carol. "She didn't say anything," Daryl muttered.

"Yeah, well, she will before long. Might as well just grab Alana when she gets back and kiss her. That'll shut Carol down," T-Dog said, laughing. He stared at Daryl, eyes growing a bit big. "…you have kissed her, right? Come on, how couldn't you?" T-Dog held a hand out at his side. "You have seen her, haven't you? How could you not wanna kiss her?" Daryl tossed a bit of meat into a pan; it was full and so T-Dog bent to pick it up. "Alright, alright. Keep your mouth shut. Fine by me." He started to walk out, taking the pan of meat to the kitchen. "I'll just ask her when she gets back!" he called out before exiting the greenhouse.

Daryl was very tempted to pull the deer carcass down and chuck it to the ground. He knew T-Dog wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut, not after seeing Alana in his cell last night. T-Dog came back and retrieved the second pan of meat. When he returned for the last pan Daryl was cleaning up. He stood there for a moment, watching Daryl.

"Hey," T-Dog said to him, "I was just joking man. About Alana." Daryl eventually looked over to him and nodded. "Besides," T-Dog added as he headed out, "if you two sleeping together you _must_ have kissed her. Proud of you redneck!"

Unfortunately for Glenn he was passing by when Daryl came out with the tarp and was dragged into helping him take it out into the field. With the way Daryl attacked the dirt with the shovel Glenn thought it best to just not say anything at all. And then that thought wandered off. They had buried the carcass and were walking back to the prison.

"So…" Glenn said.

"What?" Daryl snapped.

"Nothing—nothing."

Yeah. It was best if he just said nothing.

As the evening came closer, the group began avoiding Daryl.

Alana and the others weren't back yet.

Glenn was as hopeful as ever. "Maybe they found a ton of stuff at those stores. Bet they come back with a extra car filled with things."

Daryl hadn't really said much on the matter. It wasn't until Dale approached him, as he was heading out to the guard tower, that he allowed himself to think on it.

"Daryl…what do you want us to do, if they're not back tomorrow?"

"Go out and get them."

Daryl walked past him and went out to the guard tower. He didn't want to sleep that night. He took two shifts, watching the road. Even put on those stupid night vision goggles a few times. Kept waiting to see the headlights come up the road. They never did. Dale came out during the last shift, imploring Daryl to go and get some rest.

"If they get back, I'll come and wake you."

Not wanting to stay up there and listen to Dale's attempts to make him feel better, Daryl left. It felt like he slept for mere minutes at a time, constantly waking up. He'd turn side to side, trying to find Alana. But she wasn't there.

This was what it was to love someone.

WDWDWDWD

The group had been cautious, paranoid, on the drive to the town. Rick sat up front with Alana while Maggie gave directions from the backseat. Any time they drove up on walkers Rick and Michonne got out to take care of them. As the day went on Alana couldn't stop herself from looking at the dashboard. It showed the temperature and each time she looked down at it, it was lower. The sky was cloudy and the group could feel the car being pushed on the road by the wind. Each time they stopped to take care of a walker the group tensed up when the doors were opened. It was like having buckets of cold water tossed on them.

They hoped it wouldn't start raining. With the clouds covering the sky, they didn't hold too strongly onto that hope.

It was eerie, driving out there on the roads. There was no highway nearby to take to the town. Not that the group wanted to take a highway. Higher chance of the roads being blocked. And with the countless cars stranded there, number of walkers nearby would be high. You would think that driving through the cities, the big cities, would be the stuff of nightmares. Seeing the disarray, the bodies. The defilement of life. But it was the small towns and these back roads that were the worst. Everything just looked in place. Like the people had vanished right on the spot and the area was frozen in time. It was only in random spots that a clue of something foul was seen. A car parked on the side of the road, door ajar. Front door of a house slightly cracked open. Overgrown lawns. And the silence. It had fallen over the whole world it seemed. Didn't matter if the birds still chirped and flapped around. That silence filling the void humans once filled, had one wishing they'd start hearing things just to get away from it.

"Look at this idiot," Axel said, leaning forward and pointing to a walker that was just sitting on the side of the road. Looked like it had fallen, sat up, but had stopped short of standing up. Alana stopped the car a couple yards away. The group sat in spot, waiting for the walker to realize they were there. Axel grunted. "I'll get the idiot," he said as he opened the car door and slid out, bat in hand.

Michonne got out as well. Axel whistled as he approached the walker. "Come on buddy, don't feel like walking all the way over there." The walker stayed in spot, just staring off down the road. Was it staring? Couldn't really be sure what it was doing.

Alana saw that it was still sitting there. Her brow scrunched and she released the break, creeping up behind Axel and Michonne. She stepped out along with Rick and Maggie, watching as Michonne walked to stand in front of the walker. She waved her katana past its head. Still no movement.

"Is it dead?" Maggie asked with caution, not liking how close the others were getting to it.

Axel looked over to Alana and Rick, then shrugged his shoulders with a glance to Michonne. He raised his foot and kicked the walker. It immediately lashed out as it fell over, latching onto Axel's leg. Michonne's katana quickly slid through the walker's head and its grip on Axel's leg loosened. He was still cursing like mad as he stepped back.

Rick asked if he was alright. Axel raised his pant leg. No marks. "Bastard," he spat out, giving the corpse a good kick to the head.

"Why was it just sitting there?" Maggie asked, coming forward. "Is it the cold?"

"Maybe," Alana told her. She crouched down by the walker and looked it over. Had been a young man. The staining on his back suggested he had never seen the walker coming that got him in the end. He was wearing the remnants of a pair of shorts and shirt. The exposed skin had greyed and wrinkled. It looked tough, like it had been baked by the sun. It looked like the skin would crackle and turn to dust if Alana touched it. Looked like it would turn to sludge if touched too. It just…didn't look like anything anyone would want to touch. "Cold might be slowing them down. Would explain why we haven't seen as many at the prison." Alana peered down the road. "We'll have to be more careful. Check for head wounds. Let's keep moving."

The group returned to the car, thrown off by the walker. The cold slowing walkers down was a good thing, but at the same time meant they had to be even more careful. Alana led the group on each outing from the car after that occurrence with the walker. Maggie remained behind, at the ready to move the car. They stopped anytime they came across vehicles, checking them over, collecting any available gasoline. The ride was mostly coated with silence. Axel would start talking from time to time. Always about random things. No two things had anything in common; he just drifted from one topic to another with no direction or care. No one was in a mood for conversation. Maggie was intent on watching the road and map. Michonne kept staring to the side of the road and behind them, waiting for something to come out. Alana kept her eyes to the road ahead and on the mirrors. She looked to the dashboard, watching the time slip by. Rick was the only one that humored Axel, saying something here and there, keeping the conversation alive for a few minutes at a time.

They arrived at an intersection and Maggie told Alana to stop the car. "Take a left," she told her. "We keep going this way we're gonna go straight through some housing. Two streets down take a right and we'll be back on track." Rick asked how far out of the way this other route was. "Five minutes."

They had done well thus far with avoiding housing areas. All it had taken was a moment's thought back on the night they lost Wilhelm and Alana had no issue with avoiding houses. Peering down the three other ways, she turned the car left and continued on. She and the others could tell they were getting closer to the town. The road wasn't as narrow. They had gone over things already, but Alana asked Maggie to recount what she remembered about the town and the section they were heading to.

The strip mall was out of place. When seeing it, it felt like seeing Las Vegas. This bright, vibrant beacon in the middle of a wasteland. Maggie had ticked off on her hands the stores she could recall being there. She remembered a clothing store, an American Eagle she thought. There was a shoe store, a small chain bookstore, a coffee shop, and a stand-alone pharmacy. She knew there were more, but those were the only ones that she could recall seeing. Not all of the store spaces had been occupied when she had last been past there. What she did recall was that the area around the strip mall was open. No housing nearby. It was on the outskirts of the town. Maggie thought maybe they had built it to keep the locals from driving down the road to a nearby town to go to their Wal-Mart.

The traffic light swung violently at the intersection just before the strip mall. The lights no longer changed. It seemed out of place, there on that long stretch of road. One minute the group had been driving, taking a slow curve in the road, and the next there they were, staring down the strip mall. They hadn't gone five hundred feet after passing a small sign off the side of the road. _Entering Senoia City Limits_. Across the street from the strip mall was flattened ground, littered with construction. Looked like the town of Senoia had had big plans to keep the locals local. But the strip mall was the only section that had been nearly completed. Soon as they had seen it, Alana stopped the car.

They all watched, waiting for movement. Alana crept the car closer until they were parked in front of the strip mall. There was no backroad that led behind the place and so she drove further on a bit so they could take a look. On down the road, more traffic lights could be seen. Large sentinel trees lined the road, their branches like rotten arms clawing at the pavement. Older store fronts could be seen down the way until eventually the road curved. Alana reached over to Rick to grab the binoculars; leaning onto the steering wheel she scanned the area.

All together in the visible area she counted seven cars. She looked over them for any signs of blood. Across the street the construction work looked like it was being reclaimed by nature. The piles of sand had weeds growing up through it and the construction machines looked obsolete. It all looked as if it didn't belong. Like someone had begun a thought and then stopped only a few seconds into it.

Alana thought over the best plan of action for the group to take. None of the doors to the stores were open. That was a positive. Negative was that even though they were in an open area, once inside the store things weren't so open. Seeing the pile of bricks stacked across the street, Alana motioned for Rick to cover her while she jumped out of the car and ran over to pick a few of those bricks up. She returned to the car, standing in front of it. The others were now standing outside the car. Alana held a hand up and then sent one of the bricks smashing onto the ground. The group looked around, waiting to see if the noise would stir anything. They were greeted only by the echo of the breaking brick and the rustling of leaves. Alana nodded over to Michonne who followed after her as they approached the strip mall.

The parking lot was small and empty. Keeping quiet and moving quickly, the two women came up to the buildings. All the windows were tinted; the lack of working lights inside made the matter worse. Thankfully the buildings were facing the sun and so at least some lighting was provided for them. Alana and Michonne peered inside while making sure to keep some distance from the glass. Michonne reached out to check the doors. Unlocked. They moved to the next storefront, checking through the glass before testing the door handles. This was continued for the remaining stores. Each and every single one of them was unlocked. At least now they wouldn't have to worry about making noise with breaking in, but with the doors unlocked, there was no knowing what was inside.

The women returned to the car.

"Nothing moving inside," Michonne said, to which Rick nodded. He looked past them to the strip mall. He thought of how they cleaned out the prison.

"Let's get those doors open, one at a time. Make some noise. If anything's in there, we'll draw it out," he suggested.

Alana agreed. Michonne and Axel helped to gather more bricks over by the car while Alana and Rick approached the buildings. The doorstopper of the first store was put in place and they quickly backed away. The signal was given and Maggie smashed a brick. Michonne and Axel were watching the streets. The action was repeated for each store. In total, four walkers emerged. They moved slower than any the survivors had seen and they looked—as far as corpses went—worse off. Maggie threw a few more bricks just to be sure that no other walkers were still lurking somewhere inside the stores.

At the car the group went over the plan of entry.

"Two of us, here and there," Alana told them, pointing to the ends of the strip mall. "I want the car up front, we'll move it in place to load once everything is out here ready. Other three will be inside, one at the entrance, one gathering, last on guard."

Axel and Maggie took the guard points outside with Maggie at the front with the car. Michonne stood at the entrance while Rick and Alana made their way inside the first store. They brought with them large black trash bags. The store was an American Eagle. Alana watched the back of the store while Rick yanked clothing from the racks, shoving everything he could into the trash bag. When it was full he called over to Alana, who followed after him to the store's entrance. He tossed the bag out front when then they returned back inside. When the second back was filled they left the store and moved on to the next one, a coffee shop. It was a very small store and thankfully rather open-spaced. There were shelves of coffee bean bags and Rick took as much as possible. The shoe shop that came next wasn't as easy. It having straight aisles was a plus, but finding the right sizes was a task. Everyone's sizes had been written down and Rick took the piece of paper out from a pocket. He went to the first aisle of women's shoes and began looking as Alana peered over the short shelves. She could hear Rick sigh and she looked over to him. It would take up too much space to bring the boxes; he'd have to leave those behind. That required making noise. He said they should do a sweep after telling Alana of his plan to ditch the boxes. After the place came up clean the two returned to the front where Rick began pulling shoes from the boxes and placing them in the bag. They moved on to the men's shoes where he did the same. He thought to himself that everyone had best not complain about having the exact same style of shoes.

Rick knew that there was no true point in going into the bookstore, but Carl had asked if he would look. The books in the prison library weren't exactly of interest to the young boy. And Rick also knew that bookstores had begun to carry more than just books; board games, card games, even toys. That's what he supposed was bound to happen in a digitalized world. People had begun to not care to hold an actual book in their hands when they could hold it on an iPad. Made the book archaic. But now everything archaic was back in style, what with it being the nearest damn thing to the end of the world.

Together Rick and Alana swept through the bookstore before stuffing board games and comic books into a new trash bag. The bags were piling up outside as they moved on to a bath and body store; the soap at the prison wasn't exactly of decent quality. And it had an overtly sterile scent to it. Rick didn't bother to read the labels as he pushed shelves of the products into the bag. There were bottles of soap and shampoo and lotion, bars of soap, sponges, and jars of what looked like salt chunks. Rick just tossed it all in.

They exited the store and carried the bag over to the others. They and Michonne looked down the street to Maggie and then Axel. The two nodded their heads; the area was clean. The group exhaled in unison as they looked to the stand-alone building. The pharmacy store. It was a Walgreens. It had sliding doors that had been stuck closed; when Michonne and Alana were checking the stores they had had to pry them open. Peering inside the place had looked nearly intact. There were items strewn across the floor, but that appeared to be all. Rick reached down to pull out a few more garbage bags from a box when Alana stopped him.

"Might be easier to use a basket," she said. With the place looking nearly untouched, there was bound to be plenty the group could take. Food, body care, medicine, batteries—pretty much the whole store.

She, Rick, and Michonne approached the store, mentally preparing themselves. This would not be easy.

"I can go stand over there," Michonne pointed out. The cash registers were right at the front of the store, just a few feet away from the doors. She could stand up on one of the counters and get a better look of the place. Maggie and Axel would have them covered from outside. Alana and Rick nodded and so Michonne took her spot. She gave a low whistle and they waited for movement. None came. Rick grabbed a shopping cart and led the way down the first aisle. Alana stood at the end of the aisle behind him while he grabbed cans and bags of food; she swayed side to side on her feet, peering down the other aisles. When Rick reached the other end of the aisle he retreated back towards her. Michonne called out quietly where the aisle of body care was. It was right next to the one for medicine. Both were at the back half of the store. Alana quickly returned to the front of the store so she could peer down each aisle. Satisfied, she came back to Rick and followed him to the back. She took a spot in the middle of the store, watching each aisle, and Rick collected more body care. He then moved over to the next aisle. He grabbed all the feminine products he could before the cart was filled up. The two left the cart just outside the store and grabbed a new one. Rick filled it half way and then looked back to Alana.

The two looked to the pharmacy counter at the very back. And the shelves of medication.

"I'll look," Alana said. She had to, she would know what medications would be of possible use to them. There was no point in having Rick go back there and he end up stock piling them on medication for erectile dysfunction. There was a door off to the side that led behind the counter. Alana approached it and slowly opened it. She stood back while Rick rattled the cart. Both held their guns up, waiting. Taking a calm breath, Alana stepped forward, pulling the cart behind her. Rick waited at the doorway, holding the door open. Alana left the shopping cart just inside the entrance.

Alana tucked her gun into the back of her jeans and began going through the shelves. She went straight for the antibiotics, taking all her arms could carry. The painkillers were next. She found large bottles of various vitamins and so she took those as well. Rounding the corner of the last shelving unit she found the regular medications that many people took, such as ones for allergies, cough, congestion, topical ointments.

She also found a walker.

It had once been an older lady; her clothing hung depressingly over her skinny frame just as her skin did. She had been crouching against the shelf, going unseen. She had risen at the sounds Alana and Rick were making, but then remained still, as if she had run out of energy and was waiting to charge back up. When Alana spotted her she instantly dropped all the bottles in her arms, reaching behind her for her gun. The walker wheezed out a groan, trying to step towards Alana. But instead it fell, arms weakly reaching out for her. Alana frantically flayed out at the walker, trying to kick it off of her as she struggled underneath its limp weight. With each second that went by it seemed to be gaining strength, only to have it fade away. Alana reached for its head, keeping those teeth away from her, and without thought, shoved her thumbs into the eye sockets. The texture was disgusting, like squishing overcooked pasta. Alana gave a last kick and pushed herself away as Rick rushed to her through the shelves. He wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up. He cursed under his breath at the sight of the walker. It was slapping its hands on the floor, snapping its mouth, and emitting a watery growl. Black congealed blood dripped down its face. Alana looked down at her hands; Rick stepped in front of her, aiming his gun at the walker. The silencer gave off a soft _pop_ and the walker stopped moving. Rick turned around and held onto Alana's shoulders.

"You okay?" he asked, looking her over.

"Yeah," Alana said, nodding her head.

Michonne could be heard asking if everything was alright. Rick stepped out from the pharmacy and called back out to her. Alana picked up the bottles she had dropped. Rick returned and she told him what else to grab. He stepped over the body of the walker to retrieve the medications. He then led the way out and to the front of the store. Michonne looked Alana over, seeing her rubbing her hands on her jeans and the streaks of black they left behind.

"We're done here," Rick said and the three left the building. He waved over to Maggie who quickly jumped into the car to meet them in the parking lot where the trash bags were. Axel stayed at the other side the street, keeping an eye out.

Maggie took a step back when she saw the condition of Alana's clothes. "What happened?" she asked with shock and worry. She noted how Rick and Michonne were not dirtied.

Alana made a jabbing motion with her thumbs. "…poked its eyes out." Maggie tried not to smile, she knew it wasn't really a funny situation. "What? It worked. Stupid thing couldn't see me."

"Why didn't you just shoot it?" Michonne asked.

"I had bottles in my hands."

"Why didn't you throw the bottles at it?"

"The thing practically fell on top of me."

"So you gouged its eyes out?"

"It's dead and I'm not. That's good enough for me. And it worked," Alana said to Michonne, trying to end the conversation. The quartet loaded the bags into the back of the car. When they were nearly done, Rick called Axel over. When he arrived, the eye-gouging story was retold once he saw the mess on Alana. He received it with a deep laugh, slapping the side of the car.

"Bet it was flopping round like a fish." The others looked at him, a bit perturbed by his comical view of the event. "Ah come on, little German's alive, ain't she? Bet none of you would ever think of going for the eyes." He pointed to Alana, shaking his finger slightly. "I tell you, those Germans, plan everything out. Their plans have plans." He laughed again, rubbing Alana's shoulder as he stepped away from the car. When the others saw Alana give a small smile they didn't say anything else to Axel.

Not all the bags could fit inside the back of the car and so a few had to be held on their laps. Maggie, Axel, and Michonne each held onto a bag. Axel whistled as Alana started the car up and Rick took a look around the area. With everyone satisfied that things were clear, Alana drove off.

As the buildings became smaller in the rearview mirror, she looked down to the time on the dashboard. Alana gripped the steering wheel just a bit tighter.

"We're not going to make it back," she told the others.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl was up before anyone else. He headed straight outside to the tower without even bothering to look at what time it was. There was light in the sky, that was all he knew. Dale was still up in the guard tower. For a few seconds Daryl just stood there, looking down the road, before climbing up into the tower. It was just going on 7AM; there was the slightest lightness to the sky.

"They're probably just now getting back on the road," Dale said to break the silence. Daryl said nothing in return though.

An hour went by, leaving Daryl unable to continue sitting up there wand staring down an empty road. He pushed back from the desk and stomped towards the stairs. He kept telling himself that everything was fine. That they had just spent too much time collecting supplies and had to spend the night in the car.

"Daryl!" Dale shouted down the stairs.

He didn't respond. He sprinted down the last steps, bursting out from the door, eyes instantly looking to the road.

A car was approaching.

Daryl made for the gates, yanking them open. Dale came down from the tower in a hurry and helped him. From the car, Axel had the window rolled down, a hand floating up in the air that swooshed past. Maggie was using the trash bag on her lap to rest her head on. Michonne shook her shoulder. Rick rubbed at his eyes, pushing himself up in the seat a bit.

Alana pulled the car up near C-Block. Taking the keys out of the ignition she slouched back in the seat, letting out a large yawn. Daryl and Dale quickly closed the gates and headed over to the car. The doors opened and the group slowly slid out, tiredly stretching. Axel unceremoniously let the trash bag on his lap fall to the ground as he got out. He was saying something to Alana when she gingerly lowered herself to the hard pavement, stretching out. He let out a laugh and the others joined.

"Sleeping in a car sucks," Alana proclaimed loudly. The others heartily agreed.

"Are you all alright?" Dale asked as he and Daryl approached. Rick nodded.

"Got too dark and we had to stop. Pulled into a car shop. Slept in the car," he was telling them when Daryl and Dale saw the state of Alana's clothing.

Daryl had to keep himself from wanting to pull Alana up. It was Dale who asked what had happened.

Alana chuckled, tapping her feet together. The five of them all made motions with their thumbs and Axel said in great detail—even though he hadn't been there to see it—Alana's gouging of the walker's eyes.

"It was like jell-o," she said.

Daryl was still staring down at her; Dale peeked inside the car at all the bags. "Guess you guys cleaned the place out," he said.

"There's still plenty there," Rick told him. "More enough to go back for. We barely even touched the pharmacy."

Dale caught the look Daryl shot to Rick's back. The younger man looked back down to Alana who was being helped up by Maggie. The two were twisting side to side, trying to loosen their muscles. "You should all get some rest. Take it easy. We'll sort through all this."

"No trouble on the road?" Daryl asked Rick as he passed him by.

Rick stopped for a moment, rubbing at his head. "No. No trouble. Dealt with some walkers. That was it. Roads were pretty clear." He looked around. "Everything good here?" Daryl nodded.

Grabbing their personal things from the car, the group headed inside the prison. Alana went into her cell and began peeling off her clothing, tossing the outer layers into one pile; those would have to be washed. Unbuckling her belt she turned round to see Daryl standing at the cell's entrance. She smiled at him and turned back around, pushing her jeans down and stepping out of them. Daryl quickly moved his eyes to the floor, not looking up for a few seconds as Alana put on a clean pair of pants.

Daryl followed after her as she went to the restrooms to wash her hands. He waited outside in the hallway. He asked her what had happened, wanting to hear her say it. Alana sighed and told him. "I didn't see it. It was just standing there, completely still and then it was falling on top of me, like it had no control. But I…poked its eyes out…and then Rick came and saved the day."

"Shouldn't been wanderin' off on your own."

"I wasn't. Rick was there. I'm fine. Yeah? I'm fine." Alana looked down the hall before hugging Daryl. His arms wrapped around her shoulders.

In the silence both quickly remembered what Daryl had said to her and an awkwardness filled them. To try to avoid the situation, Daryl busied himself with removing the chain from around his neck and giving it back to Alana. He kept looking over his shoulder down the hall. Alana clasped the chain back on, tucking it underneath her shirt.

"I'm going to get some sleep," Alana said then. She bit at her lower lip, ready to take that first step, when she heard someone coming down the hall. She looked quickly up to Daryl and pushed herself up to kiss him with haste. There was no need for her to think things over; she hadn't done that at all while they were on the supply run. After the scare she had had with him everything had become very clear for her. And hearing those words from Daryl was the final push for her. "I love you too," she whispered as she pulled away from him.

**Ha! **

**Bet some of you guys thought the town they were going to would be Woodbury! But I'm not that mean…at least not yet. **

**So tell me, what do you guys think the huge events in the next chapter will be? I'll tell you all this much, there will be FOUR events that occur. **

**Post your reviews! And thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter and thanks to those that I got to chat with about various bits of the story. You guys rock! **


	63. Chapter 63

**In time for the season premiere! **

**Enjoy!**

Alana didn't wait to see Daryl's reaction. She turned quickly and left, passing Maggie along the way. The younger woman gave her a tired smile, her head slightly hung. She too wanted to sleep. As she approached Daryl, Maggie stopped, turning around, but Alana was far gone. Maggie sighed, rubbing a hand at her forehead.

"Will you let her let know Rick said those of us who went on the run get first pick over the supplies?" Maggie asked Daryl. She didn't really wait for a reply, muttering a, "Thanks," as she brushed past him and into the restroom.

Daryl didn't directly go to Alana afterwards. He headed back outside to help with unloading everything the group had brought back. To make things easy, the bags were brought into the cafeteria and lined up against one of the walls. Lori and Carol set to piling things up on different tables. Carol had begun to carry some of the food items back into the kitchens when T-Dog stopped her, saying Rick and the others should get to pick something out for themselves. It was strongly evident that the group was beyond exhausted from the run. They had moved as quickly as they could to gather the supplies, keeping their senses in overdrive the entire time. They had all said they were able to get some sleep in the car the night before, but from the way they moved this morning it was clear they were all lying.

When the car was emptied and everyone either back to their normal activity or in the cafeteria sorting through the bags, Daryl headed into the cellblock and up the stairs. A quick glance over his shoulder and he slid into Alana's cell. At first he wasn't sure she was even in there. The slow rise of the layered blankets gave her away though. Stepping to the foot of the mattress Daryl could see a tuff of hair poking out from under the covers. He stared at her for a moment and then left quietly.

It was past noon when Alana awoke and she was sure another hour had gone by before she actually sat up. She stretched every muscle she possibly could and slid off the mattress, slowly standing up. It was the greatest relief to be able to straighten her legs out. Next time they went on a run to that town, Alana thought, she was going to bring a pair of the night vision goggles. She'd be damned if she was going to spend another night sleeping in that car.

She was walking past the cells when she spotted Maggie just standing in the center of the one she shared with Glenn. She looked up towards Alana and began to chuckle. Alana did the same. Maggie's hair had grown out a bit, enough to give her the notorious bedhead. And Alana's was smashed against her head on one side and sticking straight up on the other. Maggie ushered her into the cell and dug through her things for a brush.

"You think it's too late for coffee?" Maggie asked.

Alana snorted. "I've already been planning how I'm going to make me some." All she needed was something to crush the coffee beans with and something to use as a strainer.

The two headed down the stairs and Maggie asked if Daryl had come by to tell Alana what Rick had said. Alana shook her head. "If he did, he was talking to himself. I was out cold the moment I hit that pillow."

Inside the cafeteria the two stopped to look at everything they had brought back set out across the tables. It was a bit shocking to see it all, to think that they had actually brought all those things back and that there was much more they left behind. With a sigh Maggie grabbed two of the discarded trash bags and handed one to Alana. Lori came walking down the hallway and stopped to relay what she had heard T-Dog say about the food. The two instantly made for the table piled with food. Maggie began picking up items, trying to decide what she wanted. She looked over at Alana, who was just standing there.

She didn't know what to pick out. There were cans of soup, packets of candy, chips, a little bit of everything. Some things she hadn't eaten since all this had started, but Alana felt no urgency to have them. She slowly shook her head. "I don't know what I want."

Maggie simply shrugged her shoulders, picking out a packet of gum and a bag of chocolate. "Ask Daryl what he likes." She popped her head up then towards the entrance. "Hey! You want something? She can't figure out what she wants. I think she wants to the whole table," Maggie laughed as Daryl walked into the cafeteria.

He was coming back from being up in the tower, wanting to see if Alana was awake yet. He had meant to keep walking when he spotted her and Maggie in the cafeteria, but the moment he saw that look on Maggie's face he knew she was going to start talking and he'd have no choice but to stay.

Daryl walked over towards them and Maggie moved on to one of the other tables, grabbing and sticking things in her bag. Daryl looked over Alana's shoulder to the table of items. He saw that she didn't have anything in her bag. She looked up to him with a sigh. "Want anything?"

He picked up a box of Pop Tarts and dropped it in Alana's bag. Then he grabbed a canister of Pringles and a box of fruit snacks. Alana tried not to laugh. Maggie heard her trying to hold the laughs in and walked over, wanting to know what was going on. She pulled Alana's bag open and saw what Daryl had picked out. With a huff and a look to the entrance Maggie grabbed a couple more items from the table.

"What?" she asked. "It's a warrior society," she stated with an educated air, "those who do the heavy work get the best rewards." She wandered back over to the other tables and continued to collect things. Daryl headed off towards the kitchens to grab something for lunch. After a moment Alana walked over to Maggie who was looking over the clothing.

Alana frowned as Maggie picked up a pair of jeans. "Those seem a bit big for you, don't you think?" Alana asked while Maggie folded the jeans up to stuff in her bag.

"They're for Glenn."

"I don't remember him coming along with us," Alana noted, turning to another table that held all of the women's clothing. She picked up a maroon camisole and tucked it away in her bag. "Oh, that was him up on the car's roof, wasn't it?"

Maggie smiled and shook her head. "Just trying to look out for my guy is all," she said. It didn't slip past Alana how she looked quickly over to Daryl as he came back through the cafeteria, a cup of noodles in hand.

Alana called him over towards her. With a glance to Maggie Daryl changed his path and joined Alana. She watched him with large eyes and raised brow as he slurped up the liquid from noodle cup. He munched away at the noodles having not grabbed a fork or spoon. "No dishes to wash," he told her in between mouthfuls of noodles. Alana only shook her head.

She held a hand out over the tables. "Anything you want?" she asked him.

Daryl looked up over to Maggie, unsure of the whole thing. It was one thing to pick out food, but another to pick out clothing and stuff it in Alana's bag. He grabbed two shirts and handed them over to Alana, saying that he'd pick the rest later. He was uncomfortable standing there with her with Maggie present. It wasn't that he didn't want her to see them. It was how she so casually acted towards them; she didn't see them separately, she saw them as Alana and Daryl. And that treatment was not something Daryl was ready for just yet. At least not so blatantly.

He headed off to find Rick. The man had said he wanted to talk to him, but never said what. He found him in the cellblock, just coming out from his cell. He had changed clothes and looked much more alert than he had when they first got back from the run. When he spotted Daryl, he grabbed for his coat and jerked his head towards the hallway, wanting to take the conversation outside. Daryl followed after him and waited for him to start speaking once they were outside and away from the others.

Rick asked him how things had held up back at the prison while they were gone. Daryl told him that nothing had happened. Had dealt with a few walkers, but that was all. "We came across some walkers of our own," Rick said. "We think the cold is why we haven't seen too many lately. There was one, out on the road. Axel walked right up to the thing and it didn't even budge. Wasn't till he kicked the damn thing that it made a noise and tried to get him. There were a few in town and, I've never seen them move this slow before."

"What 'bout that one in the pharmacy?" Daryl asked, a hint of agitation in his voice. No matter how much Axel had glorified Alana's taking down of the walker all Daryl felt was anger and fear that he hadn't been there to spot it before it could attack her.

"She overlooked it. Said it must have been on the ground when she went through, didn't get up till it probably heard her grabbing the meds. She said it just fell right on top of her, that it wasn't even trying to reach out for her until they were both down."

Daryl huffed. He carried the empty cup in one hand, his eyes looking out through the fences.

"We got to talking in the car last night," Rick continued on. "Alana thinks the walkers are…shutting down. When I went to Atlanta, I saw a few. They were just sitting inside cars or against the buildings. But soon as they noticed me, they were up and moving. It's like they were just in Sleep Mode. And the one we saw yesterday. We were all there, standing around it, and it did nothing until Axel kicked it. Alana says, it takes maybe 3, 5 years for a body to decompose fully. She thinks that's what's happening to the walkers. Some are torn up real bad to start with, and with the heat and now the cold, they're slowing down." Rick looked behind them to C-Block, seeing Carl heading up the tower with Andrea. "Might be things will get easier for us. Alana said, the goal will be to get through this winter and see what effect it has on the walkers. Till then, we gotta be even more careful when we go out on runs. Just 'cause we see a walker down doesn't mean it won't get up."

Daryl was agreeing with what Rick had to say. Which made what the man had to say next even more difficult.

"This summer was pretty bad this year, only means one thing."

"Winter's gonna be a bitch," Daryl said and Rick nodded.

"I want to go back to the town and do our best to clear it out. I want to have more than enough for us here. The drive there wasn't bad and the setup of the place was pretty straightforward. But, I think it's best if we break one of the rules for the group runs." Rick paused for only a second. "I know Alana is the one that goes on all the runs, but I want some of us that went this time to go on the next one too. I want to ask Maggie to go again, she knows the roads." Rick quickly explained what each of them had done on the run to Daryl, who stood guard and who went inside. "I already asked Michonne and she said she would go. I plan on going as well. It's my idea, so I should be one to go too."

Daryl stopped walking and looked to Rick, his eyes set hard. "Guess that means ya want me to stay back here again?"

Rick sighed and rested his hands at his hips. He looked up towards the guard tower. He stepped up to Daryl and held a hand out to the prison. "If something happened here, I want to know that everything will be done to protect the group." That meant putting Daryl in charge. With a grudge, Daryl agreed to Rick's plan. The two began heading back to C-Block.

That night over dinner Rick told the others of the plan to go back. Soon. "We have to plan on not making runs once winter really gets here, so we need to make sure we're prepared to last it out here." Going back on the run would be himself, Alana, Michonne, and Maggie. Joining them would be Glenn. Axel had no issue going back out, but Glenn wasn't about to let Maggie go out on her own again without himself or Hershel with her.

Dale questioned if it was such a good idea to go back out so soon. Rick wanted to head out in a week.

"There's no telling when the weather might start getting bad," Rick answered. "The sooner we go, the better. This time we're going to hitch the trailer up to the car. That way we can bring more back." He could see that the others weren't thrilled with the idea. Bringing back more things meant they'd have to spend more time collecting. More time meant they surly wouldn't make it back in a day. They'd have to spend another night on the road and with the trailer they'd be unable to hide anywhere. "Alana made the suggestion we bring a pair of her night vision goggles with us. That way, once dark sets we can keep driving without the headlights." Rick turned to Daryl who was sitting with Alana and Dale. "That means we'll need those gates clear at all time." Daryl nodded to him, saying he'd have a double watch for that night.

Rick then told the others of what he and Alana had discussed about the walkers. He wanted everyone to be cautious when going out in the fields to kill them. "The cold is getting to them," he stressed to everyone. They had to be careful even more so around them now.

While the group wasn't thrilled about Rick's plan it went down easy thanks to the venison they were all eating. T-Dog had insisted they wait to cook any until the group had gotten back from the run. He had even grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the medical ward and had some of the meat marinate in it overnight. He served it up with mashed potatoes and freshly made rolls. It amazed everyone that T-Dog was able to cook the things he did in the stove; they were gas, but electricity was needed to light the igniters. It was easy enough to light the stovetop, but the oven was a whole different story. T-Dog managed it though, finding the igniter and just setting the oven for as high as it would go to make sure it wouldn't kick off. He literally had to sit in front of the stoves the whole time, but no one minded once they got a taste of whatever he was preparing for them.

Just as T-Dog had said the day before, Alana didn't shy from filling her plate with the venison. Dale laughed into his plate as he saw her make a small sandwich out of her roll and meat. She dunked it into her mashed potatoes for good measure.

"Which one tastes better," he asked her, "Bambi or Son of Bambi?"

Alana pointed down at her belly. "Son." She finished off her sandwich and looked over to Daryl. "So who's next? Mother of Bambi? I bet she's delicious." Daryl shrugged, chewing at a piece in his mouth. "Did it really just walk right up?" Alana asked T-Dog, turning around to see him.

He nodded. "Looked Daryl right in the eye and then he killed it." Alana mused that the mother deer told the baby deer of the Great White Hunter and the others laughed.

That night Daryl didn't have a shift since he had taken two the night before. He waited a while after the others had gone to bed and snuck off into Alana's cell. She was sitting up with her back against the wall, reading a book and swaying her feet side to side like a little child. Daryl crouched down to sit next to her. Alana reached over for the trash bag of items and pulled out the box of Pop Tarts. She took a package out and opened it, handing one over to Daryl.

He quickly tensed up at the sound of footsteps down below. They became louder as they came up the stairs. Daryl watched Axel coldly as he popped into the cell. The man was holding onto a bottle of whiskey.

"Tradition," was all the man said, wagging the bottle around. "Now hurry your ass up before I take your shot."

Alana smiled, shaking her head, as she set the book down and used Daryl's knee to push herself up. "I'll try to steal you some," she told him. She asked him to hold onto her Pop Tart. She'd eat it when she got back.

Daryl sat there and waited for her to return. It gave him time to set and boil over in frustration. He wondered who would be the next to find them together. And he wondered how long Axel could keep his damn mouth shut.

Alana followed Axel down to the cafeteria where the others were waiting. Even Rick was there, although he looked a bit tense over the whole matter. Alana plopped herself down at the table; everyone was sitting except Rick. He hovered over them like a parent. Maggie had grabbed cups from the kitchens and Axel filled each one. Alana could see Rick was unsure of things, but relaxed a bit when Axel poured no more than a shot into each cup. They all made grimaces as the whiskey coursed down their throats. Alana and Maggie coughed, still not used to the taste or the burn that came with it.

Rick looked over everyone at the table. "You all sure about going back out?" The others nodded. Axel muttered about wanting to go back out, not wanting to miss out on the fun or the chance to have some more whiskey.

"You can take that up with Glenn," Maggie told him with a lopsided smile.

"We'll talk about the next run later," Rick told them. He placed his cup down on the table. "Night." He nodded to them and headed back to his cell. Soon as he was gone Axel unscrewed the lid on the whiskey and poured everyone another shot.

"One for the road," he said before knocking his head back and downing the liquid.

Alana held onto her cup, but didn't drink the contents. As the others stood up to leave she kept the cup to her chest and followed them out. Michonne eyed her. "He said for the road," Alana told her. Michonne only shook her head, knowing full well that she was likely saving it for Daryl.

They waved each other off in the cellblock, sliding back into their cells and into the warmth of their beds. Alana was coming up the stairs when Axel turned around in front of his cell and wiggled his thumbs at her. She smiled and wiggled one thumb back. When Alana got back into her cell Daryl was still sitting up against the wall, the lantern set on low. She crouched down onto the mattress and crawled over to join him, making sure to not spill the whiskey. She handed it over to him with a confident smile.

"Just as promised," she told him as he took the cup from her. She looked around for her Pop Tart and began to nibble away at it. Daryl took a swig from the cup, but left just enough for Alana to have a small taste. It had been meant for her, he was sure. He smirked at the face she made, sticking her tongue out and shaking her head. As if doing any of that would make it go down easier. Alana looked around the cell for a moment and then up to Daryl. "Are you staying?" she asked him.

Daryl nodded. The two moved off from the bed and Alana pulled the covers back. Daryl unlaced his boots as Alana just pulled hers right off. When he lied down he thought it funny how Alana quickly latched onto his side, as if she was trying absorb his body heat.

"Are you alright, with having to stay back here again?" Alana asked him after a few short minutes. She hadn't even talked to him about the whole thing yet.

Daryl shifted underneath her, raising his arm a bit higher above his head. His movement of drawing circles on the arm she had wrapped across his chest hitched for a moment. "Ain't got a choice," he told her. He knew the wheels in Alana's head were turning, trying to think of something to tell him to make him feel better. "Get some sleep." He grabbed her chin and tilted it up so he could kiss her, tasting the whiskey on her tongue.

He fought over whether to ask her if what she had said to him was true. If she did indeed love him. But the more he thought of it, the more he thought it'd insult her if he did ask. For the life of him all he wanted was to simply accept what she had said to him. Slowly the thoughts were pushed aside and he could see the present around him. He was in her bed. She was clinging to him, her breaths matching his. Every time he made the slightest movement, she followed him.

There was no room to question that she loved him.

WDWDWDWD

A week came and went and the group did not go back out to the town. Rick had been discussing plans with those who would be going, along with Daryl, and preparations were being made the day before the outing. Come that evening Dale woke Rick, telling him to come outside. Dale pointed to the thermometer that hung just outside the entrance to the building.

"It just dropped," Dale had told him, pointing to the reading, 27*. Rick could feel the cold air biting at his skin. "It's gone down nearly 16 degrees in the last hour." Dale looked up towards the sky; the pale moon lit it wearily. "And those clouds don't look promising."

When morning came, the temperature had remained the same, but it had hailed in the night and snow flurries covered the ground.

The supply run was cancelled.

It would have been a lie if Daryl had said he was disappointed.

He was disappointed though when the next week came and the group did leave. The sun had only just risen when the car drove off. Daryl spent the entirety of the day with Dale as his shadow. At first it irritated him, having the old man follow him around. And then he began to take an insane comfort in it. For one, it kept Carol away from him. And for a change, Dale didn't say much. None of his stories that rattled on and on. Night came and the group hadn't returned, just as Daryl expected they wouldn't. That would have been too easy. Dale and T-Dog stayed up through the night with him in the guard tower. Daryl held onto the goggles, watching the road.

It was some time past 2AM when he saw the car appear. He didn't bother to say anything to the other two, standing and heading down the stairs. T-Dog stayed up in the tower while Dale followed Daryl downstairs to get the gates open. Aside from Glenn, the others appeared not as tired as before, having known what to expect. Rick got out from the car and clapped Daryl on the shoulder, asking how things went while they were gone.

"Run into any trouble?" Dale asked, welcoming the group back.

Rick shook his head then looked back to the trailer. "Even managed to stop and get some feed for the horses," he told him. Maggie had known of a small store just off the route they took. On the way back to Senoia they stopped and collected what they could. Dale and Daryl peered into the trailer to see it filled with trash bags and boxes.

"Any walkers?" Daryl asked, looking quickly over to Alana.

"A few," Maggie said.

"Let's get you all inside," Dale said, ushering them all away from the car.

Rick looked up to the guard tower and waved to T-Dog.

As they headed down the hall Dale stopped them, guiding them into the cafeteria. "Axel said to save this for you," he told the group, pointing to a table that held cups and the bottle of whiskey. They laughed and chuckled, Michonne stepping forward to open the bottle and pour the shots. Dale excused himself, heading off to his cell to get some sleep. For a moment Daryl hesitated, then reluctantly left, going to his own cell. When he heard footsteps going past he peeked out to see Alana's back. He followed after her into her cell. She again held the cup and offered it to him. He drank the liquid and she took the cup back, setting it on the ground.

Daryl hugged her to him, rubbing at her arms, trying to push the cold away from her. He asked her if everything had gone alright. He wanted to hear it from her. Alana nodded.

"Just a few walkers, like Maggie said. On the road. And this time Rick didn't have to come to the rescue for me," Alana told him with a smile.

She turned to undress and grab the hoodie she had come to wear regularly to bed. As she did so, Daryl shrugged out from his jacket, pulling the chain of rings out from under his shirts. When Alana turned around he held it out to her. She relished at the warmth of the metal against her skin and pushed herself up to kiss Daryl. He wanted to feel her body under his, but could see the tiredness pulling at her. He reached out to rest a hand on her back as he guided her to the mattress. She easily fell into it and pulled the covers around her. Daryl pulled her against his chest and quickly fell asleep.

He left in the morning, unseen by the others. Alana and those that had gone on the run slept in while the rest brought the supplies inside to sort through. Everyone picked up the slack while Alana and the others spent the day resting. The group was excited to see what all had been brought back from the stores. There was more food, clothing, shoes, medicine, bath products. Plastic plates and cups had even been grabbed; it was a welcomed change from the uniform prison ware. And with Glenn having gone with the group, he hadn't held back when they went to the CVS; he made a stop down the toy aisles, bringing back everything he could. There was some clothing for Lori's baby (he had grabbed any and all clothing, since they didn't know the sex of the baby), various sports balls, board games. While the others slept in Glenn was up with Carl going through the bags; they were setting up a game of Monopoly, having succeeded in getting Axel and Dale to join them. It only took Carl a few days to get everyone in the group to play at least one board game with him. Even Daryl had joined in. Although it could be argued that was because Axel was playing as well and had a bottle of whiskey next to him.

With the supply run successful, the group hunkered down at the prison. The cold was setting in just a bit more with each passing day. Every morning the group woke to frost covered fields. The horses were still being taken out to graze; Hershel didn't want to turn to the hay or feed until absolutely necessary. Using sewing kits that had been grabbed from the store run, Lori and Carol sewed up some blankets to be used on the horses to help keep them warm.

The group became relaxed, having no looming supply runs creeping up on them. The issue of walkers was light; perhaps it was the cold as Alana has suggested, or maybe they were simply wandering in a different direction. Whatever it was, the group was happy. It meant not having to trudge out into the cold to deal with them.

Everyone was enjoying the lazy days, except for Daryl. When a walker did show up, he was the first to step out and take care of it. Anything to get away from the prison and those inside it. Rick allowed him head out a few times to hunt in the woods nearby, but never allowed him to stay out for more than a few hours in the day. And he always had to take someone with him. That someone was always Alana. And he had no issue with that. Being stuck in the prison was once again giving him cabin fever. It felt like every time he had a chance to be alone with Alana, someone would come walking down the hallway or would come into the room. He would join her during shifts in the guard tower and usually no one would bother them. During night shifts they'd join one another as well. While one kept watch the other would be reading a book. They'd then change places and read the exact same pages. At night he Daryl would go to her cell and leave in the morning. A few times he would be seen coming or going from her cell; it was always either Maggie or Axel. Neither ever said anything. And Daryl noticed how when he would go off with Alana at his heels or sit with her in the tower, there were those who never bothered them. Or would just come by to say something and then leave them be. And he noted that Dale and Michonne seemed to always appear just in time to save him or he and Alana from an awkward encounter with Carol. She would still make her appearances sometimes, but never stayed for long if Daryl was alone or only with Alana. Dale and Michonne were rather discreet in their actions. Andrea on the other hand wasn't. She had no issue with being loud.

In a way it felt like the group was fully aware of Daryl and Alana; that was there something between them. And they all knew to not say anything on the matter. The two were left to be, no attention drawn to them.

Daryl only had himself to blame when the spotlight was bluntly placed upon him.

It was lunchtime and a few of the group members were in the cafeteria eating leftovers from dinner. Alana, Daryl, and Axel sat at a table together. Axel was sharing a random story of a shanking that took place in the cafeteria during his first week in the prison. Lori and Carl sat at another table. Carol and T-Dog were in the kitchens trying to decide what would be made for dinner that night.

Carl, during a moment of silence, interjected, "Has my birthday gone by, Mom?"

The cafeteria remained quiet as Lori thought for a moment.

"No. No, you still have another month."

"Can we make a cake?" Carl asked quickly. "We can have one for everybody that's missed their birthday." He looked expectedly to the others.

Lori gave a nervous laugh.

"Hell," Axel said, "mine was a week ago. Where's my cake?" He set his cup of water down on the table. "I'd like a cake."

"And Alana!" Carl added. "We never celebrated hers."

Daryl could see the shadow pass over Alana's face. There was a good reason there had been no celebration. He wanted to save her somehow. So he said it.

"Missed mine too."

And just like that the spotlight was on him.

"We could make a cake," Carol said from the kitchens. "We have the ingredients. There's no butter, but we could use some Crisco."

Questions were being asked, what flavor to make the cake. If they could make brownies too, cookies. Sounded like they would practically have a feast for everyone. And Carol was just eating it all up.

Every chance she had over the next couple of days, she was there, bothering Daryl. Asking him what kind of cake he liked, was there anything in particular that he wanted to eat. She even tried to get when exactly his birthday was, but he wouldn't tell her. Hadn't even told Alana.

He kept his distance from Alana after that day, what with everyone looking to him, bringing up the issue of the birthday feast. It gave the group something to look forward too. By that time they were all getting cases of cabin fever.

Daryl was clever when the day of numerous birthdays came around. He made a point of taking a late shift in the day and did not come down until after Happy Birthday had been sung by the group in the cafeteria. Glenn and Maggie came to relieve him so he could head down and eat. He took his spot at a table with Alana, Andrea, and Axel. It was strange for him; Carol was doing everything for him. Getting and fixing his plates. She was playing hostess to the others as well, but she lingered around him. Asking him if the food tasted alright, asking for his approval.

He thought wrong that the night would be just like any other. Axel left for a moment and came back with a few bottles of alcohol. Everyone drank except Lori, Carl, and Hershel. People began telling stories of their worst birthday experiences or their best. The worst were preferred since they were the funniest.

Alana could see that Daryl was just waiting for a chance to get up and leave without anyone saying something about it. All he wanted was for the night to end. With time, the group began to get up and leave, calling it a night. Daryl left at the first chance he had. He couldn't even tell anyone what all had happened during dinner, he was just intent on getting out of there. Being at the center of attention wasn't something he ever cared for. He stayed in his cell, waiting for everyone to get to bed. But with those liquor bottles in the cafeteria, he knew he'd be waiting a while. Voices would trail into the cellblock and fade back out. When he finally heard Alana's he waited a moment before getting up and heading down the halls.

He made it to the office without running into anyone. Alana was already in there; she had been peering through the blinds watching for him. When he came in she turned the small lantern on, setting it behind the desk so it wouldn't give off too much light. She turned around to see Daryl sitting down on the couch, letting himself slide down into it. She smiled ironically at him.

"They wear you out?" she asked as she moved to join him. She pulled the chair from behind the desk out to sit in front of him, arms resting on her knees. Daryl didn't say anything. "Sorry they put you through that. I'm sure you could have gone without a birthday party."

"My own damn fault," Daryl told her, thinking to what had led him to speak up.

"When was it?" Alana asked while looking down at her feet. "Your birthday."

"Four days ago."

Alana smiled. "Happy birthday," she said quietly. She rubbed at the back of her neck. "If I had known, would have stolen something nice from the stores. Or grabbed a bottle of Jack from A-Block. Still could grab one."

Daryl was becoming unsteady at how Alana was not looking at him. She kept staring at the ground and rubbing her hands together. "It's alright," he told her.

But Alana shook her head. She reached into her shirt, pulling the chain out. She undid the clasp and let Wilhelm's ring fall off. "Here." She leant forward, waiting for Daryl to reach out. When he didn't, she stood up. "Take it."

"It's not mine," Daryl said, trying to push himself into the couch, away from the ring.

"Wilhelm wanted me to have it. So it's mine. And now I'm giving it to you. So it is yours. Please, I want you to have it now."

Daryl reached out uncertainly and took the ring from her, turning it round in his hand. He could still remember the night Wilhelm had asked him to give it to Alana. Could remember the fear in his eyes and the calm that took over when Daryl said he would look after Alana.

Alana moved closer to stand right in front of him. She leaned down to kiss his cheek. When he didn't pull away she picked herself up to straddle his lap. He turned to catch her mouth, pulling her against him with one arm. Alana apologized again for not having anything to properly give him aside from Wilhelm's ring. She felt like Daryl had outdone her, since he had gotten her a ring as well. She hadn't wanted to just copy him. She told him she didn't want to just give him a hand-me-down ring. Pulling back for a moment she watched him.

The panic he hadn't felt in some time came back with a force as Alana's hand drifted down. He tried to stop her, but she only shrugged his hands away. "I can at least give you this," she told him. Daryl knew it was a distraction, her kissing him again, but it worked. As she undid his pants and her hands gripped him his breath hitched. And then her weight was leaving him and she slipped down in front of him. Before he could protest the warmth of her hands around him was replaced by her mouth. Daryl rested his head against the back of the couch, slipping the ring on his finger as his other hand tangled in her hair. His mind told him to stop things, but with each movement of her mouth along his length that voice in the back of his head vanished a bit more. As his release came he tried to pull her away, but she stayed where she was and it only cause his release to come sooner.

Daryl pulled Alana up back into his lap, kissing her.

"We should get to bed," she told him quietly and Daryl nodded.

He followed her back to the cellblock, his eyes scanning over the cells. It looked like everyone else had gone to bed. Still, he waited a few minutes before going up the stairs to join Alana. He passed by Maggie and Glenn, both fast asleep. Axel was up reading a book, didn't bother to even look up at Daryl as he passed by. He could faintly see Carol in her cell, back to the entrance. He saw the tension that set in her shoulders as his footsteps went by and how she barely turned to look at him. He quickly looked away, going straight into Alana's cell. She was already in bed. Daryl removed his boots and crawled in behind her, pulling her against him. His hands moved over her, hiking her hoodie up. He rolled onto his back, pulling her to sit atop him. In between kisses, she asked him, "Again?" and Daryl could only nod. There was nothing else in the world to him at that moment. Nothing else mattered to him. As he fell asleep with her tucked in against him he turned the ring on his finger, it feeling strange against his skin. He reached over to pull the chain out from Alana's neck. She was fast asleep as he carefully undid the clasp, taking the ring and placing it on her finger. In her sleep she grasped at his hand.

They were surviving the best way they knew possible. With each other.

Daryl had no idea of the time when he woke. He recalled a footsteps. The heaviness told him it was Axel, heading off for a shift. But there was a pause in his steps. Minutes went by whereas the footfalls faded and then came back, hurried this time. There was whispering and then more whispering. He could hear Hershel. And Rick. Dale.

Alana had woken as well. Both laying there listening. Footsteps came outside the cell and they looked up to see Maggie standing against the railing. She looked over to them and shrugged her shoulders. Alana stood to walk out and join her. The men downstairs had disappeared. Maggie gasped then and Daryl quickly rose, coming to stand behind Alana. It was not long before Glenn was there as well.

They all watched as Carol was carried through the cellblock. A trail of glistening red followed behind her, dripping from her wrists.

WDWDWDWD

She hadn't cut deep enough. It was what Hershel had told them. She was not present for breakfast that next day. She stayed in her cell. No one outright asked why she would attempt to kill herself. They asked how she could ever do such a thing, but never why.

Still, Daryl could feel the eyes on him.

She had been found in the office that he and Alana always met in.

She had seen them. She was sitting in the same spot as he had earlier that night when Axel found her. He had seen the door open, the lantern faintly shining inside. He found her there, slumped over, and rushed to get Hershel.

Alana stayed at Daryl's side throughout the morning, trying to keep the others from him. She too knew they were all looking to them. She knew it hadn't gone unnoticed by some, the rings the two now wore. Rick tried approaching them, but Daryl stormed off before he could say anything. Alana followed after him. Realization set in for the group, the reason behind Carol's actions, when Alana stepped between Daryl and Glenn.

Glenn had only wanted to ask if Daryl would head out with him to tend to the horses. Daryl jumped down his throat. Alana stepped, placing a hand flat against his chest, her body close to his. She spoke quietly to him. Daryl backed away and walked off. Alana gave Glenn a sad smile before going after Daryl.

T-Dog was coming down from the guard tower. He looked between the two of them and over to C-Block. "We should probably go make a quick road check," he said. "Haven't done that in a while."

It was Daryl's chance out. He had his crossbow on his back. There were packs in the car. He walked right over and waited in the passenger seat. T-Dog sighed.

"I'll go let Rick know we're going," he said to Alana. "Hey, you gonna say what happened?"

Alana turned her back to the cars as she spoke in a low voice. "I think she saw us."

T-Dog nodded, thinking that was likely what had happened. "Listen, don't, don't blame yourself. Don't let him either, yeah?" Alana nodded. "I'll be right back."

The drive towards the country club was quiet. T-Dog sat in the back, talking a bit to Alana. They passed by one walker. Alana stopped and T-Dog got out to take care of it. Alana reached out to grab Daryl's hand at the time, for just a second. When she looked down, a frown came to her face. The ring was gone from his hand. She stiffened her lips and set her eyes back to the road. "Suppose we'll talk later," she said a flat tone. When Daryl said nothing in reply, Alana sat up straighter in her seat.

Daryl couldn't look at her. He had removed the ring and left it in his cell. He knew the others were looking to it. Looking to him and Alana. Once again the attention was on him and he hated it. He only knew two ways of handling it all. Lash out or get away. Not say a word. Pretend there was nothing wrong. He wanted to ball his fists up and punch walls. How could he have been so stupid? Why hadn't he closed the blinds completely? Why hadn't Alana? And why did he let her suck him off? Of course, he was thinking with his dick. That was why. Weeks had gone by with nothing more than heavy petting and he had been wanting something more.

For a moment he felt sick at wishing that Carol had cut deeper, thinking the group would have been over it in a week or so. There was little time to mourn the dead nowadays. She should have cut deeper. Then he could do as he pleased with Alana.

The car abruptly stopped and Daryl was jolted from his thoughts. Alana's hands were lax on the steering wheel, her eyes looking down the road. T-Dog was leaning forward in between the seats.

Alana pointed one finger out.

"That car wasn't there before."

**Thanks to all who reviewed! **

**Had wanted to put more into this chapter, but I'm going to be uber busy today so I wanted to tidy things up and get this posted in time for the premiere tonight (: **


	64. Chapter 64

**I can't wait for this semester to be over so I can get back to posting every week!**

**Thanks to all for the awesome reviews! **

"They're in that house," Alana said, looking over to the second one down the street. She had seen a shadow past by one of the windows. She, Daryl, and T-Dog sat motionless in the car, watching every inch of that house. Alana rubbed at her legs. "We have to move in there."

"Ya fuckin' crazy?" Daryl condescendingly asked. Alana turned sharply and stared at him.

"We can't very well just sit here and wait for them to come out." She waited a moment and then pointed back to one of the windows. "They haven't seen us, they're still moving around in there." Alana checked her gun and grabbed her machete. "You follow _my_ lead," she told the two men.

They moved out from the car, keeping low and quiet. Alana motioned to T-Dog to keep to the back of the house, in case someone tried to escape from the backdoor. Using the hedges to hide behind, she and Daryl crept up the porch. Alana stood for a moment next to the door, listening. She reached for the door and turned it, allowing it to barely open on its own. She waited, listening. There was the creak of floorboards upstairs. She nodded to Daryl before pushing the door open enough to slip in. Daryl tried to step in front of her, but Alana grabbed at the side of his shirt, yanking him back with a scowl. She jerked her head to the left, wanting him to cover that side of the house. She made her way down the hall that led to the stairs.

There was sudden shouting from upstairs and Alana slammed her back against the wall. Someone was yelling to T-Dog outside, yelling for him to drop the gun, but he wasn't about to do that. "There's more of us than you!" he shouted back up to the house. Daryl crouched behind the sofa in the living room, a clear view of the hallway ahead of him. Alana was just out of his sight and he hissed to her. But she didn't come. He could see her shadow on the wall and then it was gone.

She crept closer to the base of the stairs, trying to gauge from which room the voice was coming from. Gunfire erupted from upstairs. Alana jolted to race up the stairs.

A force grabbed at her shoulder, ripping her back. As she fell, she brought her gun up, taking aim and firing. She slumped against the wall, her head cracking against it. From her shoulder she could feel a warmth pouring down over her. She raised her gun to take aim again, staring down the barrel of a rifle.

But she couldn't pull the trigger.

Cries of, "Stand down!" filled the house, she and the other person both yelling it out. The person before her was quickly on their knees, pressing their hands to her shoulder. At the creak of the floor Alana cried out to Daryl.

"Don't shoot! Do not shoot!" The man in front of her said the same.

Daryl rushed round the corner, staring down the hall. He still held his crossbow up, aiming at the man that kneeled before Alana. When a second rushed down the stairs he took aim at him. Daryl was lost in the scene before him. The second man nearly collapsed down the last few steps, coming to crouch next to Alana, grabbing her face in his hands. He didn't even seem to realize Daryl was there.

"You're alive!" the second man kept saying, a mixture of joy and tears in his voice. "Never thought we'd see you again girlie." He then fully took in the wound to her shoulder. He turned to the other man. "Really Lucas? You shot her?" He looked up on the wall. He stood and traced a spot where there was a splatter of blood. "Bullet went clean in and out."

T-Dog came into the house and it was then that the two men turned and saw Daryl standing there. Both hesitated to move as he still had his crossbow up. Alana pulled herself forward, trying to stand.

"It's fine," she was saying to Daryl. "I know them."

T-Dog appeared and the second man stood, looking horrified to him. "Sorry I fired at you. Heat of the moment, you know?"

"We're friendlies," the other said.

T-Dog nodded numbly at them before stepping forward to see Alana. Much as he wanted to know who these men were, his first concern was gunshot Alana had just taken.

"It went clean through," Lucas said as T-Dog guided Alana into the living room to sit on the sofa so they could get a better look at her shoulder.

Daryl stood back as they all hovered over her, removing her jacket and pulling her shirt back to look at the wound. It had done more than graze her skin, but there was no true hole left by the bullet. It looked more like her skin had been nicked up with a poor blade. The other man, not Lucas, removed his jacket, taking off a long-sleeve shirt. He wrapped it across Alana's chest and tied it against her shoulder. "That good?" he asked and Alana nodded. He took a step back, his hands on his head and laughed nervously. "You're alive!" He slapped Lucas across the back. "She made it." He then shook his head, reaching down to hug Alana. Lucas did the same. Both were wary of her shoulder.

"We need to get moving," Alana said, standing up into Lucas's embrace. "We made quite a bit of noise here."

Lucas nodded, looking to T-Dog and Daryl. "I'm sorry!" he said quickly. He reached a hand out to them. "Lucas."

The other man held a hand up and waved mildly to them. "Heath."

Daryl stared at both with apprehension. T-Dog asked cautiously how they knew Alana.

"Texas," Heath said. "Found them trying to steal a Jeep and get off the base. Took them with us." Lucas nodded, smiling at the memory. Heath looked around fully. "Where's Wilhelm?" Lucas echoed his question with eagerness and excitement.

Alana swallowed deeply, holding a hand up to her shoulder. "He…he didn't make it."

Daryl thought it looked as if these two men had just been told their mothers were dead, the grief that fell over them. The shock. Unwillingness to believe.

Lucas rubbed at his nose. "How?" he asked.

"Walker got his leg," T-Dog said, saving Alana from having to say anymore. The two men nodded lightly. T-Dog looked over to Alana. "We gotta get moving."

Alana agreed. "Are you with others?" she asked Heath and Lucas. The two shook their heads. It was just them now. Had been on their own since living Texas. "We have a place. You can come with us. We should head back now." Heath asked about checking the houses, but Alana stopped him, saying that they had already cleared mostly everything out.

Daryl stalked out of the house behind Alana, watching her and the two men. Heath and Lucas both looked to be no more than 25 years old. They were of nearly equal height with him. Heath was of a small build, with a narrow face. His hair was a shaggy brown that he kept pushing out from his eyes. Daryl was sure if they shaved his head they'd have American History X on their hands. Lucas had the blackest hair that was trying so desperately to curl about his face, but it was at that stage where it wasn't short enough or long enough to really do anything other than hang there about his head. His eyes were dark, the opposite of Heath's, but shone brightly still. He had a wide build and stood just a bit taller than Alana. He scratched at the scruff on his face as he stopped by their car.

Alana looked over the Ford Escape. "How much fuel do you have?" she asked them.

Lucas smiled wickedly at her, opening the trunk. There were five red jugs in the back, fully filled. Alana stepped forward to see what else they had. The trunk and backseat were filled completely with food, clothing, weapons, and ammo.

"It's not far back," she told them. "Just follow us."

It was then that Daryl finally said anything. "Sure Rick will wanna feed more mouths?"

Alana looked over to Heath and Lucas. "I'm alive because of them. I'd say I owe them." She nodded to T-Dog. "I'll need you to drive," she told him as she got into the back passenger seat. Heath had rushed over to help her up into the car.

Daryl was the last left standing still as the others got into the two cars. With a grunt he got into the car. He kept looking into the rearview mirror, watching the car behind them and staring at Alana. She never met his eyes. T-Dog asked Alana the story behind Heath and Lucas. None other than Hershel knew who they were. She told T-Dog and Daryl how they had been the two soldiers that got them out from the base in Texas, before the infection could spread inside. Daryl muttered how they still shot at her. He actually felt like he had defeated himself in a way when she said nothing back.

As the prison came into view, Alana said, "I'll vouch for them."

T-Dog sighed loudly. "Been a crazy day, man." Alana could only nod.

T-Dog rolled down the window as they got closer to the prison, waving his hand and giving a thumbs up to Dale and Rick who were at the gates. He stopped the car to shout out to them that it was okay that there was a car behind them. Rick and Dale then opened the gates and the cars drove in. Heath parked behind T-Dog. He and Lucas waited to get out until Alana did. She moved quickly, not giving Daryl a chance to help her out. She walked over to Heath and Lucas, who then slowly got out from their car.

At the sight of blood on Alana's left shoulder Dale rushed to her, shouldering his shotgun. "What happened?" he asked, cradling her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Just friendly fire," she told him with a half-smile. At the quizzical look Rick was giving Heath and Lucas, Alana came forward to stand with them. "This is Heath and Lucas. They got me and Wilhelm out from the base, back in Texas. When this all started."

Rick studied Alana for a moment before nodding. He stepped to Heath and Lucas, a hand extended. He introduced himself, pointing then to Dale. The others were coming out from C-Block and one by one he named them off. The group came to surround the two men, except for Hershel and Carol. They were both in A-Block, in the medical ward. There was a need to break the ice and so Heath brought the attention to their car, saying that they had supplies they could share. He opened the back door and let them all peer in. Rick said they would move it all inside and sort through things. At those words Heath and Lucas began grabbing things. Rick and Dale stepped forward as well to help. The others moved forward and began grabbing things, carrying it all into the cafeteria. Heath and Lucas stood still in the cafeteria, dumbfounded by their new surroundings. They were looking for Alana. Rick offered to show them the grounds, at which the two men seemed to relax slightly, while a new tension rose in them. He looked over to Dale and gave a nod, before walking off with the two young men. Alana was still outside, grabbing her things from the car when Lori approached her. The woman held a hand out, guiding her back to C-Block.

"Let me get you cleaned up," she told her. Her eyes wavered slightly over to A-Block. Alana knew she couldn't go there, Carol was there. So she nodded, tossing her pack over her good shoulder and walked with Lori to the cellblock. "We'll have Hershel stitch you up later."

Word quickly spread of what had happened, how Alana came be shot and why there was no uproar over the matter. Though it was greedy, the group was quietly excited and relieved to see the arrival of Heath and Lucas. They brought with them the arsenal of a small army. They had told Rick they raided a few gun shops back in Texas, in the countryside where hunting was as common as breathing. And they had been cautious to not go trigger-happy and run straight through their supply of ammo.

As Lori was cleaning Alana's shoulder, she asked Maggie to go and tell her father that Alana would be needing stitches in her left shoulder. Maggie nodded and walked off. Lori chuckled lowly. Alana turned her head to look at her as she gathered up the dirtied rags from cleaning her shoulder. "You keep getting knocked down. But you keep getting back up." Alana smiled. And then the smile faded. She allowed herself to think over the morning. The discovery of Carol in the night. The murmurs that followed that morning. Daryl's distance from her. He removing the ring she had given him. And the stare of his that fell upon her at the sight of Heath and Lucas around her. She looked from the cell, seeing no one. For a moment her eyes drifted upwards, daring to see through the cement, to see if Daryl was up there in his cell. Lori was done with cleaning her shoulder, but she still sat there with her. Carl came in to look at her gunshot wound. He asked her if it hurt. Lori asked him to go see if Maggie had told Hershel he was needed.

Alana looked down at Lori's belly. "Not too long now I suppose," she told her. Lori smiled and nodded. She had come to rest her hands on her belly without noticing lately.

"Hershel says a couple more months. Maybe four," Lori said. Alana smiled then looked away.

Hershel came, Maggie and Carl behind him. He carried a small bag with everything he would need to stitch Alana up. Lori stayed with her in the cell. Carl stood back and watched. When Hershel said that the wounds would heal up just fine, Maggie left, going off in search of Daryl.

"So Heath and Lucas are good guys?" Carl asked Alana.

"Yes," she said. "The very best. They helped Wilhelm and I survive for a long time."

"Where have they been this whole time?"

"I don't know. I'm sure you can ask them during dinner."

Carl nodded. "So they were in the army? That's good, they can help protect the group."

"Come on," Lori said to him, standing up and guiding him out from the cell. "Help me go through the things they brought."

Alana sat there in silence as Hershel stitched her up. A few times she would look at him, but his face was neutral. She wondered if he would say anything about Carol.

He never did.

"I'll give you some antibiotics. Take them for a couple of days, just to be safe." He sighed. "You know the routine. No heavy activity." Alana nodded. "Could use your help in the greenhouse. Have some nice little crops that could use some watering. I believe you can manage that for the next few days."

He stood and left, handing a bottle of painkillers to her before doing so. Alana rose slowly, shrugging back into her layers of clothing. Holding her shoulder lightly she walked to the cafeteria. Axel was in there, with Lori, Carl, and Andrea.

"You alright?" Andrea asked her. For some reason, Alana didn't think she was asking about her shoulder. Alana nodded her head nonetheless. Andrea looked round to the others, then asked quietly, "Wanna head up to the tower? Michonne's there."

Alana wanted to laugh. Instead she whispered, "That bad?" Andrea shrugged her shoulders with a roll of her eyes. Alana then agreed. She followed after Andrea and headed outside.

Heath and Lucas were coming down from the guard tower, Rick leading them.

"Gonna get them settled in the cellblock," Rick said to the two women. "Shoulder taken care of?" Alana nodded. "Good." He gave her a look that she knew meant she'd be having a talk with him very soon.

Lucas looked after her as she and Andrea walked on. She gave him a half smile and limp wave as they headed for the door to the guard tower. He and Heath then went to the trunk of their car and pulled out their backpacks, carrying them inside C-Block.

Alana entered the tower, taking the nearest chair. Andrea closed the door behind them, taking a chair beside Michonne. It was like they had it planned. On cue they both turned fully to face Alana, the same look on their faces, expectant ones. Neither said a word, only waited for Alana to begin speaking.

"Guess she got a rude awakening," Michonne said when Alana kept avoiding their eyes.

Alana chuckled darkly, brushing a hand through her hair. "How's me sucking him off for a rude awakening?"

Andrea scoffed, shaking her head. Alana heard her say that Carol should have cut deeper. She asked if anyone was saying things on the matter. Michonne shook her head.

"Everyone's been keeping to themselves. 'Course they're still shooting those glances around."

Andrea nodded. "Dale told me earlier to keep an ear open, in case anyone started saying something. Guess he wanted me to shut them up."

"They all know that woman's crazy," Michonne said. "No one's straight out said it, but they know. None of them are even bothering to ask why she did it, what does it matter? She only knows how to be a victim, to have everyone's pity."

"And Rick?" Alana asked the two women.

Andrea sighed. "Said the same as Dale, to keep everyone quiet. He asked if I thought maybe someone should talk to Carol. I said there was no point in it. That she probably realized Daryl wasn't hers to look after. I agree with Michonne. All she knows is how to be a victim. Just look at her, we're all carrying now, we've all taken out walkers. Except her. She thought Daryl would be her dark protector and she was wrong. So now she's trying to get attention elsewhere." Andrea shook her head, her voice falling after rising with irritation. "Rick's tired of it. He already went over to the ward and talked to her. Told her this can't be about her. If Axel hadn't found her she could have died and then come after us. She risked the safety of the group. He even told her that if she wanted to die so badly to do us all a favor and use a gun, the group comes first before individuals."

Alana tipped her head. "…and how do you know all this?"

"Carl," Andrea answered. "Kid knows how to sneak around. Heard the whole thing."

Alana couldn't help but smile and laugh. "And what did Carol have to say to all that?"

"Just said, 'I'm sorry, it won't happen again,' and that was it."

"I doubt it," muttered Michonne. She could have said more, but Andrea cut in, asking about Heath and Lucas.

But Alana didn't have a chance to tell them about the two men. Rick came up the tower, asking to speak with her. She followed after him down the stairs until they reached outside. She waited for him to begin one of his long talks. For him to go on and on. All he said though was, "Are we good on everything?" Alana could only nod. "Let's put today behind us then."

Alana wanted nothing more than to do just that.

She returned to the cellblock and made the slow ascent up to her cell. She passed Daryl's and her head twitched, eyes falling upon the bed sheet that covered the bars. She heard no one moving about inside, but didn't stop to peek in. For a moment after sitting down on her mattress her mind became blank, and then everything from the day came flooding into her. She could feel something vile crawling up her throat. Hatred. The muscles in her hand jerked and Alana harboured a want to punch something. She wanted to tear her cell apart, to scream as loudly as she could. To throw out every curse word she could think of, in English and German. She was even sure she could manage a few in Spanish. The anger was threatening to flow out of her through tears.

"Hey," a voice called out from the entrance of her cell. Alana looked up to see Lucas standing there, Heath behind him. They looked silly, sticking their heads round the corner to see her. Heath's brow was wrinkled. He asked her if she was alright.

Alana nodded. "Been a long day," she said with a shaky laugh.

"Care to see our fancy rooms?" Lucas asked her.

She smiled with irony. "Don't you mean cells?"

"We prefer to be positive," Heath offered.

Heath and Lucas had taken the two cells next to hers. Alana stood out on the walkway, looking into each before shaking her head. Their belongings were tossed onto the bunks, but other than that, the cells were exactly the same.

"You haven't even done anything to them," she said. "Just the same as the others." She pointed to other cells down the way.

"Well not yet, we haven't," Lucas told her.

"And you expect me to help?"

Lucas nodded fervently. Alana looked over her shoulder and downstairs. She was still looking for that face she desired to punch. She didn't want to just forget her anger at Daryl. But Rick's words to Carol came back to her. This wasn't about individuals. They were a group. The group came first. Much as she didn't want to, she had to keep the peace.

She ignored the glare Daryl sent her way when he later appeared in the cellblock. He was going into his cell and saw her standing there outside Lucas's, telling him he'd be better off doubling his mattress. He made a quip about the princess and the pea, at which Alana asked if he was a princess. The way Lucas hanged on her while sarcastically laughing made Daryl's skin crawl. Heath popped out from his own cell, fanning at his face and speaking in a falsetto voice some nonsense.

He hated these two men. And yet he went into his cell, sat on his mattress, and did nothing.

**So yeah, this was a quick chapter. I hate making you guys wait more than a week, so I just wanted to get something done and put up for you all. **

**As you all may have caught on, Heath pretty much looks like a very young Edward Norton with shaggy hair. For a while I was trying to think of someone that could possibly look like Lucas and was coming up with nothing. But then it freaking dawned on me, and it makes perfect sense, Lucas looks like the actor that plays Jon Snow in Game of Thrones! So there you all have it, faces to go with the two new characters. We'll learn more about them in the next chapter and we'll see how they interact with the group members. Carol will make her first appearance since slitting her wrists. How do you think Heath and Lucas will react to her? **

**Be sure to leave your reviews, let me know what you all think will be the affect of Heath and Lucas's arrival at the prison. What do you think Daryl is going to do, is Alana going to demand he give her back the ring? How do you think things could be fixed between them? Maybe Daryl's jealousy of Heath and Lucas will drive him to approach her? **


	65. Chapter 65

**Thank you to all who reviewed and to all the new readers that deprived themselves of sleep to read through all 64 chapters! You guys are awesome! **

Maggie had found him in the garage, sitting far away from the horses, making himself new arrows. He hadn't bothered to look up at her when she approached him. For a moment she had stood there before him, hands in her back pockets. She then said to him, "Her shoulder's gonna be fine. Bullet just grazed her skin a bit. It was enough to need some stitches, but not that bad." Daryl had said nothing in reply, keeping his head down and focusing on the crude arrow in his hands. "I thought you'd care to know that she's gonna be just fine." Still, he had said no word to her. Maggie had sighed and turned on her heel, marching right out of the garage and back to the cellblock. It had been a tough morning for everyone; she knew the stunt Carol had pulled hadn't helped things between Alana and Daryl. But now that these two men, Lucas and Heath, were there, and they knew Alana, it could only have made things worse.

It had.

When Daryl finally made his way over to his cell he caught sight of the two men and Alana. All he saw was red. And all he did was walk straight into his cell and not say a word. Didn't do a single thing. All he wanted was to raze the world to the ground. So he let it all fester inside of him. The moment those two had seen her, they'd been all over Alana. And there they were now, having her help them with setting up their fucking beds. They'd probably have her test the mattresses out too. He knew their names and where they were from, that was all, but Daryl was none too shy about picturing Lucas and Heath with the bolts from his crossbow stuck in their heads.

His near sudden hatred of the two men was almost enough to wipe Carol entirely from Daryl's mind. She spent the entire day in the medical ward with Hershel. Daryl caught Dale coming and going a few times. Lori went by as well. He was sure others had likely gone to check in on the woman, but none of them showed a lick of guilt when they returned. None of them looked at Daryl with apprehension. No one was blaming him. But then again, it seemed like they were all too busy with Heath and Lucas to really stop and care about Carol. He saw them, every single one of them, walk right on over to the two men and practically hang on their every word. Was likely because they had all gone so long without contact with other survivors. Survivors that didn't try to kill them. Although it remained in Daryl's head that Lucas had shot Alana.

Dinner had begun as a quiet affair; Carol had come back from the medical ward, Lori at her side. They had prepared the meal for the night. Everyone had been excited in one way or another to be able to sit down together and hear from Heath and Lucas. But as they entered the cafeteria and saw Carol in there, they stilled their excitement. With her back in sight, it was unsettling to just carry on without acknowledging her in some way. Everyone took their seats; Carol sat with Lori and Rick. Daryl had walked in to see that Heath and Lucas had sat themselves with Alana. Carl took the last seat at their table, being eager to hear whatever the two men had to say about life on the road. With a scowl Daryl sat with Dale and T-Dog. From the way Heath and Lucas looked over to Carol he could tell that Alana had told them at least part of what had happened. It was subtle, but a few times he would catch one of them staring off towards Carol, to her wrists. She wore a long sleeve sweater, but the bulges at her wrists gave away the bandages that were hidden there.

The young men could barely get two bites in at a time without someone asking them a question. Many of them came from Carl. _Why did you leave Texas? What about your farm? We were on a farm, herd came through. Did a herd hit your farm too? Where's your family? Did you lose them? We lost people too. Did you see other survivors? We saw some, they weren't nice. Where did you get all your supplies? _Grudgingly, Daryl had to admit that Heath and Lucas were beyond patient with Carl and his persistent questioning. At one point Rick had seemed to try and interrupt, to quiet Carl, but Heath raised a hand and shook his head with a smile. The two men had no issue with answering all his questions; it was just a blessing to be able to speak to someone else other than each other.

Daryl couldn't deny that their story checked out, sounded like the truth. What did it matter? The group was eating it all up. They had made it to the family farm, were able to hold out there until about three months ago, when food began to run low. The farm had been situated on a large portion of flat farmland. It helped; they were able to spot walkers from afar. But that didn't matter any. Lucas's grandfather was there with them, on the farm. His mother, father, younger sister. Lucas and Heath were outside, up in an old windmill. They heard a scream come from inside the house. Lucas's grandfather had been old, very old. "He must have died in his sleep," Lucas told them. "We all slept in the same room, to be on the safe side." His voice wasn't monotone, there was still feeling there, but it was if Lucas had told the tale so many times it longer held sway over his emotions. "By the time we got into the house, only one the hadn't been bitten was my little sister. But, it was a lot for her. She had shot our grandfather. Mom and dad, they were bleeding out." Heath was quick to end the recount, telling the group that Lucas's sister had then turned the gun on herself. They left the farm that morning.

They had been on their own since then. Kept to the back roads, kept quiet. "We remembered Wilhelm saying they were heading for the coast. Figured it wasn't such a bad idea. Spend the rest of our lives at sea," said Heath.

"We've all lost people."

The eyes of the group turned to Carol. She had remained quiet. When she spoke, her head remained down at her plate.

Lucas straightened his shoulders. "We've got each other now though, right?" He looked round to the group members, finally smiling kindly to Carol.

"That's right," Lori said, rubbing a hand on Carol's shoulder. Rick nodded his head. Though Carol sat with them, it was evident to the others that it was not out of kindness that Rick allowed it. It was out of necessity.

The rest of the evening was uneventful for Daryl; he finished up in the cafeteria and left. He made rounds of the fences outside before coming back in and retreating to his cell. When night had finally fallen he kicked his boots off and went to bed. He woke a few times, half expecting to see Alana's figure pulling back the sheets and coming in. But she each time he looked, she wasn't there. Why would she? Lucas and Heath were there now; there was no need for him anymore.

The next day he kept to himself. He dragged Glenn out to the woods to try a bit of hunting. He had to clench his teeth when he heard the two new boys yapping about how they used to hunt. Evidently Lucas's father took him hunting every year when he was younger, before he joined the army. But Daryl wasn't about to let him tag along. Besides, Lucas was too focused on Alana, following her around wherever she went. When he and Glenn headed out the gates, Daryl had looked up into the guard tower to see Alana, Heath, and Lucas. Alana was smiling at something Lucas must have said. As her eyes fell on Daryl the smile began to fade. Her eyes slowly moved past him.

On returning to the prison, Daryl and Glenn brought along a few squirrels. Daryl set himself up alongside C-block and began the process of cleaning the small animals. He gave no acknowledgement to Alana when she came and sat with him, helping him with skinning the squirrels. His movements were pushed by haste. He was doing just fine until she came and sat down with him. He didn't need her help. He looked up at her once; her head was down, eyes intent on the squirrel in her hand. She didn't say a single damn thing to him. He wouldn't say anything to her either then. He could skin and clean those squirrels with his eyes closed. Alana had only managed to clean two squirrels before Daryl had finished the others. She sat still for a few seconds after he chucked the bodies in a pot and headed inside to the cafeteria. Alana stared down at her hands. She needed to wash them.

Evening came again and Daryl headed outside for a night shift. He stared off at the chairs in the guard tower. After staring long enough, picturing Heath and Lucas in them, he wanted to chuck them out over the edge. He stalked back to his cell when Dale came outside to relieve him. As he approached the cell he could hear someone inside. When he pulled the sheets back he saw Alana crouched over a pile of his belongings, a small lantern in hand.

"I want it back," she hissed to him, still looking through his things. "My ring, I want it back." Daryl could only stand there, his face taut as the frustration rolled over Alana. She exhaled, shaking her head at him. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Daryl stepped closer to her, crossbow dangling at his side. "Should be asking ya the same thing."

Disgusted shock covered her face. "What's wrong with you? Really?" Alana bit back words, tasting bile with her thoughts. After the past they shared, it still came down to this? To him?

"Shouldn't ya being running off to your boys now?" Daryl asked, his words veiled with his own disgust.

Alana hung her head, looking off towards the corner of the cell. "Where's the ring?" she asked again. With a huff, Daryl stepped past her, digging through the pockets of a pair of jeans. He pulled out the ring and tossed it at her. As he came to stand in front of her again he could see the light of the lantern glisten off the wetness in her eyes. "I…am _done_ with this. I'm tired of chasing after you, of always chasing after you. It's what Carol's been doing, and look where it got her." Daryl wanted to say something to her. Something hateful. Cruel. It was his natural defense. But all he could do was stare as the tears fell down Alana's face. The weight in her legs began to shift as she turned from him. "I will _not _end up like her. Not over you." Alana walked past him and out of the cell.

Though she hated herself for it, Alana fell asleep that night clutching the shirt Daryl had given her. She wore Wilhelm's ring on the chain round her neck. The other ring felt cold and harsh against her skin. Yet she never removed it.

Alana ignored Daryl for most of the following week. She stuck with Heath and Lucas. Andrea and Michonne. The day after retrieving Wilhelm's ring she walked the perimeter of the fences with Lucas. Rick had told him and Heath that they could have a few days to settle in before they were to begin taking shifts during the day and night. But with little to do around the prison, the two men easily grew bored and found themselves tagging along with others during watches. Heath had taken a liking to Hershel. The greenhouse reminded him of the one his mother had had, and so he spent a great deal of time in there with Hershel. He also had a strange liking of Axel. His crassness made Heath laugh. And with the way the group accepted his peculiarity, being alongside him made Heath feel as if the group accepted him as well.

Alana and Lucas had made it to the far side of the prison. They walked between the middle and outer fences, occasionally reaching out and shaking at the links. Making sure they were still holding.

"So," Lucas began, looking behind him to Alana, "how long have you been with them?"

Alana tried to think back, counting the months. "Five? Six months." She shook her head. "Days start to blur together after a while."

Lucas nodded. "Andrea said you and Wilhelm found them on a highway."

"We did. Thought we would just keep going, but Wilhelm…"

"He had other plans," Lucas said with a laugh. He and Heath had quickly learned that Wilhelm always had plans. And they learned to go along with them. "They seem like a good group. Axel says you're Rick's second in command." Alana nodded with a smirk. "And Daryl too." Lucas looked over towards the guard tower, knowing that the man in question was up there, watching them. "So, six months with this group. How many of those months have you had that shadow?" he asked with a nod towards the tower.

"I've been his shadow," Alana told Lucas without looking up to the tower. "Not anymore though."

As Alana had said, the days blurred together and the week went by, everything fogged to her. For the life of her, she couldn't get inside Daryl's head, couldn't figure out what he was thinking. It was as if things had become too much for him. But how could two things be too much? Carol cutting her wrists, Heath and Lucas joining the group, that was it. Yet both were enough to give Daryl what he needed to turn away. He had been given his way out, that was what Alana thought. She paused and thought over the past months. When had he been her shadow, of his own choosing? Everything he had ever done was motivated by an outside source. He went back to that house to get her out of guilt. He allowed her in his tent out of guilt. He watched over her for Wilhelm's sake after his death. Even in the moments where he wanted her, the root of it all was guilt.

Alana thought, maybe, he only needed this time to himself. That he just needed a chance to see things clearly. And then he would come back to her.

But no, still, the guilt would be what guided him back to her. If it ever did. It was a foolish hope she held onto. The realization came to her suddenly and cruelly. Alana was up in the guard tower, taking a night shift. The cold stung at her eyes, turning the tears she held into dagger upon her cheeks. The week was coming to and end and she could see that there was no amount of time that could be given to Daryl that would fix things. He no longer wore that frosted hate on his face. His eyes were vacant when he looked at her. If he looked at her.

Alana shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her, thinking of dinner that evening. Announcements were being made and Daryl had said he was going to head out hunting again with Glenn. Carl piped up, wanting to go as well. Daryl was quick to say that when he and Glenn returned he'd teach him how to skin and clean the critters they caught. It was nothing shocking, nothing absurd. Carl would be learning a new skill, it would be helpful. But Alana knew it meant there would be no need for her. No need for her to sit at Daryl's side. She had snuck off quietly from dinner and made her way over to the guard tower after that, taking two shifts. Axel had come up for his turn, but Alana weakly waved him off. With hesitation the older man went back to the cellblock.

The third shift was approaching, but Alana was blind to it. She didn't look at the time until she heard the footsteps coming up towards her. They were slow and heavy. Alana turned, expecting to see Hershel or Dale, but instead saw T-Dog, carrying a large bundle. He had to turn sideways to get it through the small doorway. Axel had woken him, told him of Alana. Though none said it, all were grateful for Axel. He saw everything. If Dale was all-knowing, Axel was all-seeing. He woke T-Dog up, saying, "Girlie's up there, won't come down."

T-Dog dropped the bundle on the ground, kicking to spread things out. Alana looked down to see he had brought a sleeping bag, two large blankets, and a pillow. He reached out and took the binoculars from her. "Get some sleep." Alana could only nod, rising from the chair and moving towards the sleeping bag. Within minutes she was asleep.

In the morning she caused a small panic. Heath was sleepily coming out from his cell. He said something about Saturday morning cartoons, steadying himself against the railing as he walked up to Alana's cell. Daryl was standing outside his own cell, straightening out his shirt and shrugging into a light jacket. He looked up to Heath as the young man pushed the hair out from his face, squinting.

He looked over to Daryl, then behind him to Lucas who had just emerged from his cell. "Alana already get up?" Both men shook their heads. From down below Andrea called out that she hadn't seen Alana up yet. "Alana?" Heath called out, likely waking the others. Axel grumbled from his cell, dragging himself out of bed.

"Camped out in the tower," he said, rubbing at his face.

Heath called Alana a weirdo and moved on past Daryl. After Lucas did the same, Axel looked over to Daryl, his eyes fully awake now. There was something truly fucked up when a convict looked at you with disappointment.

After grabbing a bowl of cereal Heath headed to the guard tower. When he opened the door and saw the sleeping bag and blankets he looked to Alana with curiosity. "Leg bothering you?" he asked, having learned of all her acquired injuries. Alana nodded.

T-Dog gathered up what he had brought the night before and he and Alana headed down the stairs. Alana made straight for the cafeteria, being hungry. She was the only one in there aside from Hershel and Dale. Not in the mood for conversation, Alana grabbed her food and sat alone at a table. As the others came and joined them Alana would tense her shoulders at each that passed by her. Wondering if any would try and sit with her. She felt relief when Michonne and Andrea came to sit with her. She could rely on them to not try and get her to talk. T-Dog was quick to take the last seat with them.

A couple of walkers had wandered into the fields during the night and so after breakfast Rick asked Heath and Lucas to join him in taking them out. The two young men did not hesitate in obliging the request. They followed Rick's lead and did just as he asked. They two spent a majority of the day with Rick. Rick had wanted to go over the maps with them, wanted to know what roads they had taken, which ones they had come across that were blocked. He asked if they had come across any herds, particularly the one that overtook the farm. The two men had seen a herd, but it was nowhere near as large as the one at the farm. And this herd, they had seen it nearly three months ago.

"We've noticed it too," Lucas told Rick. "First they all just seemed to wander about. In that first month, after the outbreak. Seemed like they were everywhere. I'll tell you, I'm glad we had Wilhelm and Alana with us. Wilhelm kept our heads straight. Kept us alive. Couldn't turn a corner without running into one of those things. And then…things just slowed down."

"Like with almost everyone turned into one of those things," Heath said, "there wasn't anything for them to do. So they started clumping together. Wilhelm said it was like that book, _I,Robot_. Those things started grouping together for whatever reason. We finally got some peace and quiet. But that was even worse."

Rick couldn't agree more. "Just meant that when you did eventually see one, it was never alone."

Lucas nodded.

Rick went on to explain that while he appreciated any input the two men could offer him on keeping this group going, Alana and Daryl were the two that he would look to first. He needed them to understand that while everyone did have a voice in this group, his voice was final. It wasn't that he didn't trust them; Alana spoke for them and that was all he needed to accept them. But Rick could not have discord within the group.

With a calm falling over the prison once more, Rick took the chance to determine where Heath and Lucas would be most useful. He wanted to know how well their aims were, if they would be better suited for supply runs or remaining back to guard the prison. Both men were skilled at hunting, Lucas more so. Rick said that if Lucas wanted, he could head out in a few days and try his hand at hunting.

While Heath and Lucas were with Rick for the most part of the day, Alana felt like she was wandering mindlessly. She felt like the walking dead. She had no day shifts to take care of. Patrol was assigned to others. She didn't feel like reading a book. Or going to the gym. Or watching a movie. At the same time, she didn't want to just go and sit in her cell. She eventually found her way outside, her feet taking her over towards the basketball court where Lori was taking down the dried laundry.

"How's the belly?" she asked the older woman as she approached.

Lori turned around, looking down to her stomach with a sigh. "Still there. Still bouncing around like there's a party going on." Alana nodded, stepping forward and grabbing clothes down from the line, folding them up and placing them in the boxes Lori pointed to. Lori looked over Alana, seeing the listlessness about her. "You alright?" Alana nodded and Lori furrowed her brow. "Is he causing trouble again?" At this Alana smiled.

"That's all he ever seems to do." Folding a shirt up and placing it in Dale's box, Alana looked over to Lori. "Do you ever feel like you're the one doing all the work, but you've thought that you weren't?"

Lori's hands slowed as she reached up to the clothesline. "No. And yes." The clothes were all taken down and in the boxes. Lori nodded her head as she walked towards a table that had been dragged outside and the chairs around it. As she sat down with Alana, she continued speaking. "You know how Rick's always been the, the innocent one. I always felt like the bad guy for wanting to have a proper, real, fight. He's different now, but the same. I'll try to push him, but he just won't budge. But…I know that what there was between us is broken. We're done. He, plays house for the baby."

"You're still the mother of his son," Alana told her, but Lori only shook her head and laughed lightly.

"Doesn't mean he has to love me though. Just means he has an obligation to protect me." Lori looked out over the prison grounds. "I've been trying to make things right. Trying to make us a family again. Trying to be a wife again." She looked back to Alana. "But that isn't what Rick wants." Lori shook her head. "The most time I spend with him is when he's asleep. I…I ruined my family. But you…no. You did nothing wrong. Whatever Daryl's problem is, it's his own. None of this is on you."

Alana was quiet for a moment. She told Lori how she now believed Daryl's every action stemmed from guilt over her. "I don't know what to believe in anymore, only to not believe him."

"We can try all we want to fix things," Lori said, "but trying it alone never works. Sometimes, you just have to accept that things get broken."

"You have Carl. And the baby," Alana said. "That's something." She couldn't stand to continue with the negativity.

Lori thought for a moment and then tried to hold in a sour laugh. "We have each other." Alana chuckled. "If Rick decides to move out of our cell you can come bunk with me," Lori jested.

Alana helped Lori carry the boxes of clothing back inside, her steps not as heavy as they had been. Lori later complained of a headache and she offered to head to the medical ward and grab medication. Alana waved a hand off towards Hershel who was in the guard tower, then pointing over to A-Block. Alana walked slowly over, taking her time through the halls, the light of her lantern bouncing off the walls. The silence was not eerie to her, it was calming. She grabbed a bottle of Tylenol and began to head back out, shutting the doors to the ward behind her.

When she appeared back outside, Alana kept her head down, turning the bottle over in her hand. She had made it to B-Block when she finally lifted her head. At first she saw nothing. No one. Looking up to the guard tower she saw Hershel standing on the balcony, waving frantically at her, but not saying a word. It was then that the doors to B-Block creaked open. T-Dog stood reaching out to her. Alana then fully looked around, seeing the group of walkers that was heading towards the prison from the back. There had to easily be a hundred of them, still emerging from the woods. They had no clear path, no clear intent. Alana looked back up to the guard tower. Hershel had gone back in, sitting low in his chair and watching the fields. Alana could faintly make out the top of Carl's head next to him. T-Dog then grabbed Alana's wrist and pulled her through the doors. He closed the doors quietly and retrieved a walkie from his back pocket.

"I got her. I got Alana," he said into it. Rick's voice came over from the other side, saying to stay where they were. When the first few walkers had been spotted, T-Dog had been quick to rush towards A-Block. But too many had appeared too quickly. He couldn't afford to be running about, risking the chance of catching their attention. So he ducked into B-Block and grabbed for the walkie that was left at the entrance. The idea had been Dale's. To leave one walkie in every building, right at the entrance. That way if something happened and people were cut off from each other, the walkies could be turned on and the group could keep communication up.

Alana kept wanting to look out the doors, see what was going on out there, but she'd see nothing. The walkers had yet to fully encompass the prison fences. Hershel's voice came in over the static.

"Hundred. Hundred-fifty maybe."

Rick's voice cut in. "Are they heading for the fences?"

"Don't look like they're heading anywhere really. We haven't caught their attention."

There was a pause and then Rick said, "Alright. Everyone stays where they are. Axel, if those horses start making noise, you quiet them." Axel grunted a response over his walkie. The man had been casually walking around when the herd appeared. He was closet to the garage and so he ducked inside there. "Hershel, any change in direction those walkers make, you tell us. Everyone just settle in, we might be in this for a while."

With a sigh T-Dog checked the doors, making sure they were secured and turned back around to Alana. "Come on, maybe we can see out from the cellblock," he told her and Alana nodded, following after him. He slowed down so that she came up at this side, keeping pace with her.

"You guys cleared this building out completely. Right?" Alana asked when they came into the cellblock.

"Opened every door. Place is clear."

The two climbed up the stairs, staring up to the large barred windows. They kept watching until the first of the walkers began to trickle into view. Some fifteen minutes went by before the entire prison was surrounded. As the walkers passed along the fences, they never once turned and looked to the buildings. They stared on ahead, their feet carrying them away. Though they could not see it, there was a number of walkers that had come right up to the back fence and just stood there. For the time being, they were the unstoppable force and the fence was the unmovable force. And then the walkers gave up, just standing against the fence or leaning against it. Some began sliding along side them, at one point or another reaching the end and carrying on with walking.

"We should go wait by the doors," Alana said then. "If we have to make a run for it, best to be there. Make our way to the cars quick as possible."

T-Dog agreed, following after her as they turned from the windows and made their way down the steps and down the halls. The two slid down against the walls, opposite each other. T-Dog set the walkie down at his side.

"Is it the same herd, from the farm, you think?" Alana asked T-Dog after some time.

He shook his head. "No. No, didn't look big enough."

Alana huffed. "So there's more this makes three herds we've seen then."

T-Dog nodded. "Got caught with our pants down," he muttered. "Rick'll be having a meeting over this tonight." Alana couldn't help but smile at the comment.

"That's if the walkers go away."

"They'll go away. Likely not quick enough for Axel's liking."

"Everyone else is in C-Block?" Alana asked him.

T-Dog said yes. "Only ones outside were me and Axel and Daryl. Axel was off over by the garage. Daryl was by the guard tower, ran in to cellblock to tell Rick what was happening. Me, I started heading this way."

"Some of them are going to linger," Alana thought of the walkers. "We'll have to head out there and deal with them. Can't draw any attention though."

"Guess we'll be laying low for the next few days. Give the herd time to put some distance between us."

Alana looked down at her watch time and time again. Over an hour had gone by. Axel had just radioed, asking when the hell he could get out of that garage. Horses weren't making any noise; man was just tired of sitting in there with them. All he'd say was, "I'm not a man that's fond of horses."

"Most of them have moved past us now," Hershel replied. "Looks like there's quite a few hung up on the fences in the back."

"Can you see the head of the herd still?" Rick asked.

"No, they've gone on through the woods, heading down the road. Maybe another hour and they'll all be out of sight." Alana looked down at this to her watch. There would still be daylight. "We'll have to take care of the stragglers, but another hour and it should be safe to head out."

"Okay then. Everyone just hang in there." Rick then said he was going to walk through C-Block, try and find a window that faced the back of the prison. He wanted to get a look at the walkers up on the fence. Some minutes went by and then the radio crackled to life again. T-Dog and Alana stared down at it, waiting. "About twenty walkers at the back. Once the herd has passed, we'll head out in two groups. We'll have a third group at the gates."

"We taking the cars?" T-Dog asked.

"Yeah. T-Dog, you and Alana will head out with Axel. I'll head out with Glenn and Daryl. Lucas, Heath, and Andrea will cover the gates. Michonne and Maggie will be our backup if needed. I'll give the signal when it's clear and we'll make for the cars. When we head out there, we'll make left, T-Dog and the others go right. I want everyone to stand down at the corner of the fences. First thing we do when we reach there is let Alana and Daryl take out as many as they can. I'll grab the rifles. When their numbers are low enough, well head in and take the remaining walkers out by hand."

Everyone agreed to the plan, with Axel coming over the radio last, saying, "I call dibs on driving."

T-Dog looked over Alana. When she saw him watching her, he said, "Daryl." With the mention of his name T-Dog could see her demeanor falter. Her coolness became heated for a second. "That redneck don't know how good he's got it," T-Dog told Alana. She said nothing in return to him. She kept her eyes from meeting his. T-Dog sighed heavily. "Not like we're going anywhere anytime soon," he said.

"I already talked with Lori," she countered, but T-Dog only chuckled at her as if she was a fool.

"You wanna know how the opposite sex's mind works, you gotta talk to them. So again, we're not going anywhere. Go ahead and talk. Doctor T is listening." He rested his head back against the wall and stared wonderingly at the wall.

Alana smiled at his words, looking down at her hands as she fiddled her thumbs.

And she talked.

**And there we have it! Another chapter done! There was much more I wanted to include in this chapter, but I wanted to go ahead and post since it has been two weeks. **

**For those who have seen Sunday's episode, you will have of course caught the nods of head towards certain characters in this chapter. Anyone wanting to discuss the episode and how it will or will not affect this story, PM me and we shall discuss our little hearts out (: **

**While I pretty much have the next chapter planned out in my head already, I'd still like to ask a few things. **

**Where do you think things now stand between Alana and Daryl? Do you think they're done? What would it take for Daryl to realize he was wrong in his actions? If he did try to get Alana to take him back, what do you think her reaction would be, would she even want him back? And do you think Heath and/or Lucas have a part to play in all this? Or are they just innocent bystanders that got caught in the storm without knowing? **

**As usual, be sure to review! I will try this time to reply back to as many as possible. Uni is just getting crazier and crazier the closer the semester comes to a close. I will say I'll have the next chapter up in two weeks, though if I finish sooner I will of course post early (: **


	66. Chapter 66

**Woot woot I did it! Got this chapter done in a week! Yay! Time for a happy dance! **

**I'm gonna reply back to reviews for last chapter later today, but I'll try to sum things up here is possible haha**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, totes agree, Daryl needs to man up and get over his anxieties, Alana has more than proven herself to him. Now he needs to prove himself to her. To kinda address what many of you thought of the last chapter and where things could possibly be going, we're definitely going to be seeing a new leaf being turned as far as Alana and Daryl are concerned. And with that we'll also see a new turn to Carol's storyline. **

**And, with the events of recent episodes in the show, I will say that there are some things that didn't occur in the show or occurred at a different time, but I am considering including them in this story. For anyone that would like to know what exactly all that entails (will I be killing off particular characters or writing certain events) just send me a PM. I never shy from sharing spoilers for the story (: of course though, I do keep some to myself hehe. **

She felt silly, repeating to T-Dog what she had already said to Lori. For his part, T-Dog didn't say anything; he let her speak. There were moments where she'd pause, but still he wouldn't say anything. Then she'd begin speaking again. He had known for quite a while at the prison that there was something between the two of them, he just never said anything. When the entire group had been reunited at the prison, even though there was the tension between them, T-Dog had known that Alana and Daryl would be okay. That things would fall into place when it was time. There had been some moments where he wanted to say something, to supply a reality check to one of them. But he never felt the urgent need to do so. Never felt that things were near to being destroyed. And so he'd remain in the background, keeping a watchful eye on matters.

Now though, sitting there with Alana and listening, he felt that destruction was nearing. He was listening to her words, but it was what the words carried with them that rang in his ears dully.

Alana barely shook her head, tilting it to the side as she finished a thought. Her hands were limp on her lap. She had been tapping her feet slowly, but now that had stopped. She just sat there, eyes lazily fixed on the concrete. She felt as grey as it.

"I'm so tired," was all she said. There was a fragility to her words, as if she had spent the last of her energy in simply saying them.

Her voice hinted at collapsing. T-Dog looked over to her. She looked like a weathered solider having lost hope that they'd ever leave the trenches and had become content to remain there even if help did arrive. In Alana's eyes T-Dog could see the need to cry, but the sheen to them never came. If anything, they looked to only grow duller.

How long had they been surviving now? Felt like a lifetime. In their current situation it was evident that, though they had shelter and protection, everything they needed, they could never relax. Some may have felt they could, but it was all a lie. They couldn't leave the prison. They had to keep patrol. Kill walkers in the fields. Go on supply runs. Check the fences. Keep watch all day and night. Repeat. Repeat. The tension never truly left.

The radio crackled and Hershel's voice was heard. "Now's as best time as ever. Been about thirty minutes since the last of the group went out of sight." Conversations from various ends came in. Alana pushed herself up, her face neutral once more. Her body alert.

Now that he had heard it, T-Dog could see, no matter how perfectly she hid it.

She looked tired.

WDWDWDWD

They all moved as quietly and quickly as possible. Rushing from behind one building to the next. The moans and grunts of the walkers could faintly be heard as they moved along the back fence. Alana and T-Dog waited for Axel to catch up with them. The garage was nearest the back fences; some of the walkers had noticed him and were now riled up. When they all met up at the cars each person took their weapons and got into the cars. Alana knew Daryl was there, but she hadn't allowed herself to see him. She needed to focus on the task at hand. She sat in the backseat as Axel drove them to the back fields. Once there, she positioned her rifle atop the car's roof and began taking her shots. From the opposite side of the field Daryl took his. The number of walkers dwindled to the point where the cars were moved closer and everyone stepped out, finishing off those that remained.

The decision was quickly made to leave the bodies. They could be dealt with later. Rick wanted the group back inside the prison. The watch for the rest of the day and night were doubled. Dinner was a quiet affair. Alana was fast to fix herself a plate and retreat to the guard tower with Michonne.

Her not being there irritated Daryl. Lucas and Heath were sitting at the table they usually shared with her. Lucas wouldn't stop bouncing his stupid leg. Like a nervous twitch. Boy had never done it before. And it irritated Daryl that he couldn't eat alone. Dale and T-Dog sat with him.

As night fell pairings were made for the double shifts. Daryl got lucky. Rick picked up the second shift with him. They kept up the double shifts for two days. On the final night Daryl took the first shift with T-Dog, thinking he'd have nothing to worry about. There would be no unwanted talks. The look T-Dog gave him though when he came into the guard tower, Daryl knew the night would not end without some sort of mentioning of Alana.

It was only a matter of time before someone said something to him about Alana. Daryl knew it. He was once again no longer sitting with her during meals, no longer at her side during the day. He didn't even speak with her. Wasn't like he couldn't keep himself busy without her. She kept herself occupied without him. She gravitated from one person to another in the group. Daryl always knew where she was. Who she was with and what she was doing. It wasn't difficult to make himself not care though. Far as he was concerned, he was keeping tabs on her so he could avoid her.

With all his work at avoiding her it had taken him some time to realize that he wasn't having to avoid another person. Carol. The woman had said little to him since her incident. At first she kept to herself, carrying on with the daily chores. She spoke to the others, although her tone was nearly always diluted. Lori became ill with a sinus cold and Carol's attention quickly turned to her. She took over the woman's work and kept her comfortable, fixing and getting anything she needed. The only time she stepped back was when Lori asked for Hershel. In truth, she was also asking for Alana. Carol would go and fetch Hershel and he in turn would bring Alana with him.

Throughout the shift Daryl waited for T-Dog to say something. No one had said anything about him and Alana yet. He was sure T-Dog would be the first. It was towards the end of the watch when the moment came. There had been no walkers thus far in the night. When T-Dog rolled around in his chair Daryl turned to see what he was doing. The man was leaning forward and then waved. Changing his own position, Daryl saw that Alana was outside of C-Block. He watched long enough to see that she was heading for A-Block. Probably off to get something for Lori. She came back out from A-Block; whatever she had grabbed she must have stuck in a pocket. She didn't look back up to the guard tower this time as she passed it. As she neared C-Block Daryl looked out towards her.

"I don't know what's going on man, but you gotta fix it."

His statement caught Daryl off guard. _He_ had to fix it? Why the hell should he? The stare he gave T-Dog questioned his words.

"Look at her. Doesn't she look tired to you?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Probably got some sleeping pills," he said.

T-Dog could only shake his head, still watching Alana as she disappeared inside C-Block. "She's _tired_," he said again. "She's hit that wall man and she hit it hard. Don't you get it?" As he continued speaking, Daryl began thinking of every time he watched her and T-Dog words gave a new, uncomfortable perspective. "Whatever's going on between you two, it's gotten to her. Add to that Carol and her outburst. Heath and Lucas?" Daryl bristled at their names and T-Dog scoffed. "You really think she's happy to see them? Girl probably chalked them off as dead, just like Wilhelm. And then they show up out of nowhere. Alive. They're alive and Wilhelm isn't." T-Dog was going to say something else, but stopped, lowering his head and turning away from Daryl.

As the two began collecting their things when Dale and Heath came out for the second shift, Daryl dared to ask T-Dog a question. He should have just kept his mouth shut, but he didn't. "What the hell it all matter to ya?"

T-Dog rested his hand on the doorknob. "We went out there with Wilhelm. And we didn't come back with him. That's why it matters. If you ain't gonna look out for her, I will. Glenn will. He's been asking about her too. So why don't you get your shit together before he starts telling the whole group about her?"

Daryl wanted to think it was stupid, everything that T-Dog had said about Alana. She was just fine without him. Had her two boys back. What did she need him for? Sure, maybe she had been acting a bit differently, but hell, what did it matter? Was probably just on her period or something. What did Merle call it? Shark week, that was it.

Intent to forget what he had heard, Daryl dropped his things off in his cell and headed to the restrooms. Coming out and turning down the hall he heard something. A soft _click_ and _thump_. It came from behind him. Not able to just let it go, Daryl began down the halls with caution. He saw a faint light coming from library. Inching along the wall he was able to see in. He watched Alana sitting at one of the tables, a lantern in front of her. She had a bottle of water and the medication from the medical ward. There was a book to her side. Swallowing the pills, Alana rubbed at her thighs before grabbing the book and opening it.

Daryl told himself he didn't care what was going on. He turned and left, sleep on his mind. Surprisingly it came easy to him. But then he woke some time later and couldn't fall back asleep. He was rolling over when someone began calling his name quietly. He sat up to see Heath peeking in from behind the sheets.

"You seen Alana?"

"What?"

"Alana," Heath repeated. He took a step into the cell. "She wasn't in her bed when I left. She still isn't there." The young man was trying to keep his voice calm though the worry came through.

Not wanting to deal with what would happen if he just laid there, Daryl got up, grabbing a flashlight. He knew exactly where she was, but didn't say anything on it. He followed behind Heath, watching as he looked into every room in the halls. Daryl passed him as he peeked into one room, turning the hall and looking into the library. He called Heath over, pointing a lazy finger towards the windows. Alana was there, slumped over the table asleep on the book. Turning the door handle slowly, Heath entered and walked to stand by her, his face scrunched up. Daryl watched as he picked up the bottle. Heath's frown deepened, but Daryl didn't know why. Quietly Heath collected her things and pushed them towards Daryl. He then pulled Alana's chair away from the table and scooped her up slowly. Daryl watched as Heath carried her back to her cell and tucked her under the covers. Daryl was setting her things down when he shook his head to the bottle of medication. Heath reached out for it and walked out of the cell, keeping his voice low.

"Heard her say she hasn't been sleeping well," he told Daryl. "Last night she was watching movies for like six hours." He sighed and turned away, going to his own bed.

Even if he was completely tired, Daryl wouldn't have been able to find sleep the rest of the night.

He watched her during the days, this time with the words of T-Dog on his mind. And what Heath had said. She wasn't sleeping very well. But there she was throughout the days, fully alert. But she looked _tired._ Did the others see it too? Could they see that something wasn't right about her? No, he didn't think so. T-Dog saw it. And he could see that Glenn did as well. The way his face dropped when Alana would turn her back and no one else was watching. No one else looked at her though, no one said anything. No one said anything to him. Maybe they were all used to it now, used to the storm that was Alana and he.

Still, Daryl told himself that none of it mattered. That Alana was just upset she couldn't keep him wrapped around her finger with Heath and Lucas too. He wouldn't allow himself to place any guilt anywhere but on her.

And he thought he was doing well, telling himself that he didn't care the day he noticed Dale carrying a book.

A small bit of the group had gone off towards the treeline and gathered firewood. Branches and short trunks were loaded into the back of the truck and brought back to the prison where it was then chopped up. It had been decided that small fires would be lit just inside the entrance to C-Block during the day. Though it wasn't much, the heat remained within the walls long enough. Daryl, along with T-Dog, Axel, and Lucas were tasked with chopping the wood. They were late to dinner that evening. Carol was still there, with Maggie as well. They prepared plates for the men and then left them be. The four of them sat at the same table, although Daryl said nothing. Axel said more than enough to cover both of them. Lucas was commenting on how he was glad the large herd that had come through hadn't decided to turn around. The others agreed with him and T-Dog began to recount the herd back on the farm.

But Daryl attention was elsewhere. Dale had walked in, nodding and smiling towards their table as he made his way to the kitchen. He had a shotgun slung over his shoulder as he picked up a thermos that Carol had filled with coffee. Walking back past the table, Axel caught sight of what Daryl had been staring at.

"Bit of light reading you got there," Axel said. Dale paused long enough to hold the book up, tucked away under his arm. "Starting a book club, Oprah?"

Dale laughed. "Helps to pass the time," he told him. "You know, you'd probably like it."

"Oh yeah?" Axel asked, leaning back in his chair. "Got any pretty ladies in it?"

The table laughed. Lucas reached out, wanting to see the book. He looked at the spine and read slowly, "A Game of Thrones. Hmph. Bigger than a dictionary. Bet Heath would just love it," he joked. He handed the book back to Dale.

With a wave, Dale said goodnight to the others and left the cafeteria. While Axel and Lucas were putting away their finished plates T-Dog looked over to Daryl, knowing full well where Dale had gotten that book. He'd seen him with it for the past four days and he'd seen him talking with Alana. He had wondered when Daryl would get around to noticing as well.

It took two days for Daryl to approach Dale and it was more due out of frustration. He awoke early, intending to go out and try a bit of hunting. Glenn was going with him. Daryl walked into the cafeteria, not planning on seeing anyone there what with the ungodly hour it was. Dale was there. He sat at a table, a cup of coffee to his left. He had that damn book with him. Daryl stood over by the kitchens, preparing himself a cup of coffee. He kept looking over towards the old man, the frustration growing.

"What the hell ya doing with that?" he asked, staring not at the book, but at a small notepad next to it.

Dale finished writing something down and looked up to Daryl. He pointed back down at the pad. "Just making some notes. Lot of things going on, wanna make sure I don't forget anything. I don't have a young mind like Alana."

Daryl bit back a scoff and turned away. He fixed his cup and left.

That evening Daryl covered Andrea's shift; she took a pretty nasty hit to the head while playing basketball inside against Carl and a few of the others. Daryl sat up in the guard tower alone, mulling over the things that were piling up against him. He had been seeing Alana with Dale quite often now. And now he noticed him carrying that book around all the time now.

When Dale came to cover the next shift Daryl did not get up right away. The old man had the book with him. He didn't say much to Daryl, only asked if all was quiet so far in the fields. He continued to sit there, swaying side to side just the slightest in his chair. He fought to keep still. Words flew through his head, of what he wanted to say to Dale. _Stay away from her. What ya doing with her book? She got ya with that guilt trip too? She just pissed. She's tricking ya old man. Is she okay? Is she alright? Does she ever think about me? _

Must have been that Dale could hear his thoughts, like they screamed out from his head. Or maybe it was just because he's old and he knows these things. He sighed. "She's okay, if you're wondering. But…well she's been better." Dale turned fully to face Daryl. "I don't know what happened, if she's told anyone, it wasn't me. But I know she's hurting."

The pause was long, but Daryl finally said quietly, "She's tired."

Dale nodded to Daryl's back. "She is. I catch her sometimes. And she…she looks…it isn't easy, for any of us. But we hang in there. We keep that spark. But Alana, sometimes I look at her and…that spark isn't there. She's dealt with a lot and kept most of it inside. It's getting to her now."

It wasn't easy, but Daryl found his way to speak to Dale, bit by bit. "Never did dig a grave for Wilhelm."

"No. No, we didn't. Maybe we should have." Dale ventured to ask, "But that isn't what all this is about, is it?"

Tensely, Daryl looked over his shoulder, staring at the ground. "She really ain't said nothing to ya?"

Dale shook his head. "I told her, if she ever wanted to talk, about anything, I was here. But she hasn't said anything to me. Anything you want to tell me? I've seen T-Dog and Glenn watching her. Like they want to say something to her, but they never do."

"She gave me Wilhelm's ring," Daryl told him, fidgeting with a pen on the desk. "Took it back though."

"Why did she do that?" Dale asked him, knowing there had to be a reason, something that Daryl had yet to say. Something he didn't want to admit.

"'Cause I took it off. Day that Carol…thought y'all kept lookin'."

"Son, if any of us were staring at you and Alana, it was out of sympathy. Carol…well I don't even want to get started on her. I don't care one bit for what she's done. So…I'm taking it Alana saw that you had taken the ring off?" Daryl nodded. "That the only reason you took it off, because you thought we were blaming you for Carol?" Daryl shook his head.

"Those two show up outta nowhere. Just like that she got two someone's to pay attention to her."

"You ever think maybe she paid them so much attention because you made yourself scarce to her?" Daryl began saying she didn't have to go a whole week before saying a word to him. "And in that week, did you ever say anything to her?" Dale sighed. "People like to say that relationships are tricky, but really they aren't. Real simple actually. You just have to remember, they're not one sided. Have to put in as much work as the other person does."

"Yeah, well, what it matter now?" Daryl asked bitterly. "Got loverboy Lucas now." Daryl knew he couldn't be the only one that saw how Lucas stuck to Alana's side.

"I talked with Lucas a while back," Dale began. "Guessing that no one else knows, but there's a reason why Lucas keeps to Alana. That little sister of his, he showed me a picture of her. She looked just like Alana, with brown eyes. Looking out for Alana is his way of saving his dead sister."

"And Heath?" Daryl asked, not wanting to admit defeat that either of those boys wanted Alana.

"Heath never had a sister. He was an only child. Always wanted a brother or sister, he said. Considered Whilhelm and Alana his siblings." When Daryl didn't say anything Dale continued. "I can understand why you took the ring off. Had a lot of things to deal with that hit you all at once."

"T-Dog said she looks tired."

Dale said nothing in reply and so Daryl turned around to look at him. He could see Dale swallow the lump in his throat. It was eerie how his words echoed T-Dog's. "She's hit that brick wall I think. So much surviving, trying to hold on to something good, something to keep hope. Just like you, so many things have hit her all at once."

"Ya think she'd—"

"_No._ no. At this point though, I don't know if surviving would be better."

Daryl remained up there in the tower with Dale for the remained of his watch, not saying anything else. As the shift came to an end Michonne appeared outside C-Block. Without much time left, Daryl unsteadily asked, "Ya think it's all outta guilt?"

Dale looked at him shocked. And then he lowered his head, shaking it. He smiled back up at Daryl. "Told you this once already son. You have to care first before you can ever feel guilt." Dale pushed his chair in and walked towards the door. "Now come on, been a long night."

Daryl stood by as Dale closed the doors to C-Block and the shadows fell over them. "What do I tell her?"

But Dale couldn't tell him. "That, you have to figure out on your own. I'll tell you this though. With Irma, things always worked out best for me when I agreed to _everything _she said." Dale chuckled at his suggestion. He walked off before Daryl could give any reaction.

He wanted to go to Alana's cell, yet his feet took him to his own. Even when he tried to get up and go to her cell, he stayed put. He lied there on his back, staring at the ceiling, a hand behind his head. He chewed at his thumb. He could talk to her tomorrow. Or. Or he could wait a few days, give himself some time to figure out what he was going to say to her. He could go hunting and take her with him, talk to her, not have to worry about anyone eavesdropping on them. Or if she had a night shift, he could talk to her then.

Daryl continued thinking over what he would say to her. He heard movement in the cell next to his. Alana's. He stayed still as he listened to her sit up, sliding her boots on, and walking out from her cell. When he could no longer hear her footsteps Daryl quickly sat up. He stared down at his things, taking in the corners of the cell. Scratching at the back of his neck he bent down and picked up a backpack. He zipped it open and began shoving his clothing into it. He grabbed his boots once the pack was full and carried them into Alana's cell. He placed the things on the floor and went back to his cell. He repeatedly looked over his shoulder. He grabbed his pillows, picked up his crossbow. He stopped as he was standing back up, staring at the sheets that covered his cell. Biting his lip, Daryl dropped his things and walked over to the cell bars, untying the sheets. He took the few steps to Alana's cell walked inside.

Her footsteps were getting louder. He knew when she had turned the last corner. He knew when she had come into the cellblock. When she started up on the stairs. He had the sheets nearly completely up. She must have not looked and seen the sheets over her cell until she came upon his own; her steps slowed and Daryl tensed for a second. But he shook himself and finished tying the last knot just as Alana pushed the sheets aside and walked into the cell. With his head down Daryl took a step back.

Alana hadn't expected to return from the restroom to find Daryl in her cell. Let alone half of his belongings tossed across the floor. She wasn't quite sure how to react. Whether to scream at him, punch him, or just ignore him. Maybe throw his belongings over the railing. Along with him.

Daryl wiped his hands on his pants. "Still havin' trouble sleeping?" he asked. He told her how he and Heath had found her asleep in the library.

Daryl began to worry when she said nothing to him. Wouldn't even look at him. Alana turned from him and began taking her boots off. She pushed his belongings out of her way. Clenching her fists she turned back to Daryl, but would barely meet his eyes.

"I'm tired. I don't want to do this anymore Daryl. I am trying so hard just to scrape by. I'm tired of having to work so hard and have nothing to show for it—"

"I know," Daryl said quickly. He dared to look directly at Alana and could see the confusion on her face. Maybe Dale was right. "I know. And I'm sorry, alright?"

Alana shook her head, waving a hand between them. "Haven't we done this before?" She scoffed, turning away from Daryl again. She pushed the covers back, ready to go back to sleep.

But Daryl saw the sleeves of his shirt sticking out from under her pillows. "Ya keep the ring too?" he asked, coming forward. Alana faltered, stepping away from the mattress. In frustration Daryl came up to her, blocking her against the wall. When she wouldn't look at him, wouldn't say anything, Daryl reached out quickly, pulling at her sweater. He yanked the chain out, his and Wilhelm's rings dangling on it. When he looked back up at her face he could see Alana's eyes glassing over. "Ya still wanna survive." Should have been a question, but for whatever reason Daryl couldn't make it into one. He rested his forehead against hers. "Ya don't want me here, then say it."

She said nothing. He gave her only mere seconds, but she said nothing and Daryl pushed her fully against the wall, gripping at her nape. When she made no protest he tilted her head up to kiss her. Still she didn't fight him and so he deepened the kiss, a hand moving to grip at her waist. At the feel of her skin under his hand Daryl could no longer hold back the moan that hung at the back of his throat. Alana shivered against him and pulled back.

"It's cold," she whispered and Daryl nodded as he stepped away, pulling her towards the mattress. Daryl took a last look towards the sheets that covered the cell bars. He still had time to tuck tail and run, but there was no hint of doing so within him. Where else should he be but there with her?

Everything felt familiar to him, being above her again. He pushed against her as she slid a hand under his shirts, feeling at his scars. Daryl raised himself just enough so that she could reach the buttons on his shirt and undo them. He shrugged out of it and pulled the wifebeater over his head. He shivered at the sudden rush of coldness that hit his skin and Alana was unable to hold back a giggle, he muttering to her to keep quiet while pulling the covers over his shoulders. Alana pushed herself off the mattress, removing her sweater. She felt hot against his skin. Alana ran her fingers through his hair and Daryl relaxed under her touch. It was a simple gesture, but it struck a cord with him. She shifted underneath him and pressed against him. In the moment of weakness when he allowed her weight to push his Alana pressed a hand against his chest. Daryl took in a breath as she came to sit atop him, straddling his waist. He gripped at her waist, thumbs running over her hipbones. When Alana lowered herself fully against him he could feel her chest fully against his. On instinct he pulled her waist against his, his hips rising slightly to meet her. Alana rose again, sliding down his waist and Daryl brushed his hands over her chest. Before she could find the top of his jeans Daryl was undoing them. He clenched a fist, the other hand wrapped in her hair, as he felt her mouth cover him.

As he felt himself close Daryl turned his hips away from her, pulling Alana up towards him. It wasn't until he had kicked his jeans and boxers off, and felt Alana's bare hips under his hand, that the situation fully hit Daryl. He kissed her, feeling himself against her, thinking that there would surly be the end of him. Alana hooked a leg over his waist and both bit back the noise that threatened to escape. He wanted to ask if she was sure, if this was what she wanted. If she wanted him. She had every chance to turn him away. And then she wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her head to rest her cheek against his. Daryl could feel her relax under him. He lifted himself off her enough to run his hand over her chest, his fingers splaying over her breasts. Her stomach became taut as his hand brushed over it and slipped between her thighs. He felt his member twitch against her as his fingers slid over and in her. She moved under him, her hips rising up to meet his hand. Her arms lowered, wrapping around his back as she kissed him to quiet herself. He knew she was close, he had come to know when she was nearing her end. Daryl did not know how long he could possibly last and so he had thought this best. Alana had begun to protest in whimpers when Daryl removed his hand from her, but Daryl quickly recovered her mouth with his. With haste movement he guided himself into her and both stilled. At her slightest movement against him Daryl began to move above her again. All he could feel and hear and see was her. He rested his head alongside hers and Alana turned her mouth to his ear. Her quiet moans echoed in his head. Her nails digging along his skin left it burning. He grabbed at one of her hands and pressed it above her head, looking at how she clenched to his, how her muscles would not relax. Daryl buried his face in the crook of her neck as he felt her tighten around him in spasms. When she whispered his name Daryl could no longer hold back, his speed and force increasing. She remained tight around him, freeing her hand from his and wrapping both around his shoulders. Her skin absorbed his grunts and moans as he felt himself fill her. His pace began to slow until it was gone and he rested his lower half atop her.

Daryl was brought to his senses as Alana ran her fingers over his back, her breathing slowly becoming calm. He shuddered as she turned her head and began lightly kissing at his neck. He stayed still, allowing her attention to him. In a moment of pausing Daryl looked around and grabbed for her sweater.

"Gonna get cold like this," he said. She didn't laugh, only smiled. Daryl slowly pulled away from her, suddenly feeling strange being detached from her. In silence they both redressed. Daryl stood to zip up his jeans. He bent down to quickly kiss the top of Alana's head, saying he would be back. He returned from his cell, carrying the desk clock he kept. He placed it against the wall where he could see it easily from the bed. He lied down and raised an arm, Alana finding her place under it. He rested his hand on her shoulder. His other ran over the leg she had hitched over his waist. He took in a steady breath. Alana raised herself just a bit to adjust and Daryl turned his head to kiss her. She smiled into the kiss and rested a hand on his stubbled cheek. "Ya stuck with me now," he muttered against her lips. He swatted at her when she laughed, trying to quiet her. Alana only laughed louder.

**Ok, coming out from behind my rock. Finally had Daryl and Alana shag! Took 66 freaking chapters, but it happened! I think I spent most of the time on this chapter writing that last bit haha. **

**Question time!**

**The inevitable morning after. How do you think Daryl is going to react? **

**Where do you think things go from here for him and Alana? **

**Got two unfantastic exams this week and next week, so next chapter will likely be up in 2 weeks ): I do have one event planned for it though and it shall be fun. For those who have read the comics, you'll know instantly what's going on and what's to come (: **


	67. Chapter 67

**New chapter! I will be so happy once this semester is over and I can just spend all day writing! **

**Thanks to all who reviewed! Thanks to all the new reviewers! And a huge thanks and a bow to all those that have recently discovered this story and gave up sleep to catch up! You guys are crazy! Then again, I've done the same thing a few times haha. **

**And we have a new Story Image! Thanks to Blitz for being awesome and making it (: **

Daryl awoke throughout the remainder of the night, his eyes drifting down to Alana's form against him. He'd looked over to the clock, seeing the time go by with every hour. Alana would stir in her sleep and he'd hold her to him even tighter. Each time she would quickly relax back into him. Before the sun could begin to rise, he drifted back off to sleep. He woke again, the sun still in hiding, and found that Alana was awake. She lazily ran a hand over his collarbone. Raising her head slightly, she looked at the time. Aside from Michonne in the guard tower, they were likely the only ones awake at the moment. Alana readjusted herself, her leg brushing over Daryl. He jerked slightly at her touch. Alana turned her head, brushing her lips over his neck. She continued her small ministrations and when Daryl didn't fight back, she slowly brought herself over him fully. She clung to him, pressing her hips into his. As he slipped his hands under her sweater Alana gasped quietly to the warmth in his skin. He tried to rise up, holding her to him, but Alana pushed him back down slowly. He stilled, but didn't protest. He kept his hands on her as hers found their way to his jeans. He grunted deep in his throat when she raised herself above him only to slide back down over him. For a moment she kept still, sitting fully up atop him. At the slight movement of his hips she began to move over him slowly. He reached up and pulled her down by the neck, his hand grasping at her hair. He felt her clenching around him and quickly kissed her, both rising and falling together. She slid away from him, retrieving her bottoms after a few minutes. Daryl did the same. Alana once again found her place against him and he held her there.

At the first sound of someone waking in the cellblock Daryl became fully alert. He pulled himself away from Alana. She woke, seeing him stand from the mattress. He knelt back down, pulling the covers completely over her. Daryl slipped out from behind the sheets. As he came out he looked quickly to his left, seeing Lucas standing outside his cell, rubbing at his face. He had a blanket wrapped around him. He sleepily nodded towards Daryl. All he could muster was to nod back, a hesitation in his muscles.

"What time is it?" Lucas asked, looking over towards the barred high windows.

"Bit after 6," Daryl told him, his voice cautious.

Lucas shuddered and shook his head. "Too early man. Too early." He waved a hand over his shoulder and shuffled back into his cell.

After standing still for a few seconds Daryl followed his feet down to the cafeteria. He found Hershel in there, reading a book from the library and drinking a cup of coffee. He looked up to Daryl and nodded his head, knowing it was too early to start saying, "Good morning." Instead he asked, "Going hunting today?" Daryl shrugged before walking back out with his own cup of coffee.

He drank from the cup, setting it down half empty on the ground in his cell. He looked to the wall on his right, running a hand through his hair. He bit at this thumb. Quietly he began picking things up, figuring out what he would put inside Alana's cell. With all their stuff in there, there'd be no seeing the floor. He gathered the last of his clothing. Sorted out his collection of random things; books, knives, a small stash of food and drinks. He then sat down on his mattress, finishing off the last of his coffee.

When the noise in the cellblock grew, the others waking and coming out, Daryl began to bounce his foot. He didn't have the sheets to hide behind. He looked out beyond the railing and could see the shadows of the group playing against the walls. He bit back a scowl and stood up. Daryl grabbed his clothing and walked over to Alana's cell, his eyes set to the floor the entire time. He pushed the sheet back, seeing Alana sitting on the mattress. She was brushing her hair out. When she saw the bundle of clothing under his arm she looked around the cell before crawling off the mattress. She began tidying up the cell. She set his things alongside hers. He walked back and forth between his old cell and the one he now shared with her. Bit by bit his cell became empty. He kept his focus on her, blocking everything else out. On his final trip to his old cell Daryl paused at the entrance, seeing Heath randomly sitting on his mattress.

Heath looked up at him and bounced slightly on the mattress. "More comfy than mine. Mind if I take it?"

Daryl reached down to pick up the empty coffee cup. "Don't need it no more."

Heath clapped his hands and stood, walking back to his cell and then poking into Lucas's, telling him to come and help him with something. Daryl went back to his new cell, sorting through his things, listening with anticipation. He heard Lucas ask why Heath was getting rid of his bed. Heard Heath say he was taking his. Heard the entire conversation.

"Daryl isn't using his anymore."

"Why not?"

"Shacking up with Alana."

"…well where are you gonna put this one?"

Heath scoffed. "Toss it in an empty cell."

And then the talk was over. Daryl looked over to Alana who had a grin across her face, shaking her head at hearing the conversation as well. Daryl kept waiting for Lucas to come into the cell, to just pop his head inside, to say something. It actually became a bit unnerving when he didn't.

He left to go clean up in the restroom, leaving Alana to change into new clothes and continue at tidying up the cell. As he came down the stairs he looked up to see Heath and Lucas chucking the mattresses into an empty cell. He was just down the hall when he heard Axel gripe about the noise. He continued on down the hall, barely catching someone saying his name. And Alana's.

After being done in the restroom, Daryl just stood there for a moment. He had done this before, staring at his reflection. He remembered. It was that first night when Alana had wandered sleepily into his tent before going to her own. He had stood there in the Greene's restroom, staring at his reflection as he was doing now. Hair was longer now. Alana was right, he had little side tails now. And a back one. He lifted his chin, rubbing a hand over the splatter of small scars that covered his neck. He caught sight of his hands and turned them over. Daryl was never one for sunblock; even his scars had a tan. He looked back up to the mirror. The bags under his eyes didn't seem as deep as he had remembered them being. At least they had a tan too; better that than them being the usual dark grey.

Glenn came into the restroom and Daryl stepped away from the sinks, grabbing his pack. He was walking out when Glenn hesitantly called out to him.

"Hey. Uh, do you know that Heath's taking your bed?"

Daryl lazily pointed a hand in the air. "Told him he could have it. Don't need it."

"Oh. Okay." Glenn was quick to turn away, turning one of the faucets on.

Back in the cellblock Daryl made sure to keep his head down. As he passed T-Dog he at least nodded towards him. T-Dog slowly looked up to the second level. He slapped Daryl on the shoulder as he went by.

Back in the cell, Daryl stood there, staring at the sheets. Alana looked over to him. She instantly feared that someone had said something to him.

"You alright?" she asked, wanting to take a step towards him.

Daryl jerked his head to her. He shook it.

"You still alright then?" He didn't answer right away. "We don't have to eat with the others," she offered. At that, he nodded his head. "I don't have any watches today, you?" Daryl shook his head. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll go get some food," Daryl told her with a nod.

In the cafeteria Daryl knew the others were trying to not follow his every move. He had walked in, going to the pot of oatmeal, grabbing two bowls. He didn't say anything; no one asked why he was taking two bowls or where he was taking them. Quickly as he had come in he was gone, heading back to the cellblock. Alana was just finishing setting up the DVD player when he came into the cell. Both scooted back on to the mattress, quietly eating as the movie began. As the starting theme began, both heard a loud gasp. Hurried feet reached them and then Heath was there, poking his head into the cell.

"You have Star Wars?" he asked in awe and shock.

Alana nodded her head, a spoon of oatmeal halfway to her mouth. "It was in the library," she told him slowly, not taking her eyes off him.

"Can I watch it after you?" he asked, his shoulders already slumping. She nodded and his eyes went bright. He took one last peek at the screen and disappeared. He was down the stairs, on his way to the cafeteria, when he could be heard talking to Lucas. "She has star Wars!"

Daryl shook his head and Alana elbowed him. "No wonder our army was beaten by a bunch of dead guys. Too busy playing video games, tryin' to be Yoda."

Alana took a spoonful from her bowl. "…I don't think there were any Star Wars video games. Aside from those Lego ones." She looked over to Daryl and saw his raised brow. "I should stop talking, shouldn't I?"

Daryl said, "Nerd," under his breath.

"Am not. I'm a Whovian."

"Ya wanna shut it? Tryin' to watch the movie."

Daryl was shocked, and worried, to say the least, when no one came to bother them while the movie was going on. He could hear the others out there in the cellblock, but no one ever came by their cell. Heath and Lucas would walk by from time to time, even reciting some of the dialogue of the film, which left Alana laughing. When the film was over, Alana stood and stretched, saying that she was going to take a quick shower. Not content to just sit in the cell by himself, Daryl got up and went outside, walking the fences. If he kept moving, no one could corner him and say anything.

Thankfully for him, Daryl was on the other side of B-Block when a realization dismally hit him. "Shit!" he hissed, stopping in his tracks. Instantly his muscles tensed and instinct told him to find something to punch. His eyes strayed over to C-Block.

He and Alana hadn't used protection.

Daryl passed Dale as he headed back, walking in front of the greenhouse. "Everything alright?" Dale asked him, but Daryl said nothing.

He sat in the cell, waiting for Alana to get done with her shower. He had half a mind to go to A-Block and see if Hershel had anything Alana could take. There had to be something. There was a tinge of guilt, but Daryl didn't want Alana to be in Lori's situation. A pregnancy at this time was nearly a full-on death sentence. The concerning part was the sentence could be for either mother or child. Or both.

Alana had barely walked into the cell, rubbing vigorously at her head with a towel, when Daryl practically jumped down her throat. "Ya gotta go see Hershel," he told her. Alana stood there, her eyes wide and blank.

"…and why is that?"

Daryl bit at his lip. He looked over towards the sheets and made sure to keep his voice low. "We ain't used any protection." He was silently berating himself; how could he have been so stupid? Well that was easy, he thought, he's a man. Men are stupid.

Alana balled up the towel, taking a slow breath and stepping towards Daryl. She could see the urge in him to start moving about. He likely wanted to go on a rampage and beat some inanimate objects. She wrapped her fingers around one of his wrists.

"It's okay. It's fine."

"No it ain't," he said defiantly.

Alana shook her head. "It's fine. I won't get pregnant."

Daryl scrunched his brow. "Ya got birth control or something?" he asked her. Suddenly the pulsating blood flow in his head wasn't so loud.

Alana watched him for a moment, seeing the calm begin to edge into him. "Yeah," she told him. "It's gonna be fine. Nothing to worry about."

Daryl stood still for a moment, watching her. The worry slowly left his eyes and his shoulders relaxed as he nodded his head. "We're alright then?" he asked. Alana said yes. He nodded his head again. "Ya sure?" It was her turn to nod her head.

She turned away from Daryl, dropping the towel she held onto to the floor. She bent and pulled a beanie hat over her head before shrugging into a jacket. "Rick says there's walkers we need to move, from yesterday," Alana told Daryl. She had passed Rick in the hallway. "Says he wants to take care of the new ones that showed up during the night, then move the bodies. Doesn't want them piling up at the front."

When she and Daryl got outside, Rick, Glenn, and Andrea were waiting towards the gates. Michonne had already walked off, behind the outer fence, to draw the attention of the walkers so that the others could head out. For those walkers that wandered too close to the fence, Michonne greeted them with her blade. Daryl remained in the back as the group stepped out, his eyes watching them all. He even turned back a few times to see if anyone inside the prison was watching him. He stopped turning around when he saw Carol come outside. Found himself sticking closer to Alana.

There weren't many walkers still up and moving. Many had followed Michonne and many were now dead thanks to her. She had come out to join the others in the fields. Daryl served as the distraction to the one walker that he and Alana approached while she sliced her machete into its head. It fell to the ground with a heavy weight; Alana held its head down while yanking her blade out. It was slick with blackened blood and brain. When the blade was freed, the cavity in the walker's head gave way and fell apart, exposing a rotten brain. The stench was so strong, Alana could taste it on her tongue. She tried not to breathe, waiting for the wind to carry the smell away. Daryl bent down to grab one of the feet and began dragging the walker away, towards the road. They'd grab the truck and carry the walkers off towards the treeline. He looked behind him when he heard noises of disgust. There stood Alana, one arm resting on her knee as she bent over to poke at the slushed brain that remained. She turned bits over with the tip of her machete. She stuck her tongue out, curling her lip up. Alana looked up to Daryl when she felt him watching her. With a huff she caught up with him, grabbing the other leg and helping him drag the walker to the road.

They repeated the moves, grabbing and dragging more walkers to the same spot. At one drop off they met with Glenn. "Is it just me, or are these things smelling even worse?" he asked them, his face stuck in a grimace. Alana laughed, then wishing that she hadn't when she breathed in the stench, resulting in a racking cough. She shook it off, pulling the walker up to the pile.

She went to swing the leg of the walker, but before she could let go, the leg let go of the body it was attached to. With a yelp Alana began falling forward. Quick as he could, Daryl was reaching out for her, trying to grab at her hand or arm. His arm snaked round her waist, but Alana was still unsteady on her feet and could not stop gravity. Her feet became a tangle with Daryl's and the two came crashing down to the ground.

Daryl blinked his eyes to see that somehow Alana had managed to twist herself around, leading him to land hard on the ground with her landing hard atop him. He turned his head and saw Glenn, red-faced and laughing.

"Shut it, Chinaman!" he barked at Glenn, though the younger man did no such thing.

Alana was whining above him, reaching down to cradle her knee. "It hurts! It hurts. Stop laughing!" she was saying to Glenn. The laughter in her voice was evident.

Glenn waved a hand, trying to remove the smile on his face, as he approached them and offered Alana a hand. She shook her head. "No, no, I'm good here. Just going to take a breather." She rolled off of Daryl and it was then that he realized he had been holding onto her waist the whole time. While she still held onto her knee pathetically, Glenn helped Daryl up.

Daryl then turned back around to Alana. "Can't hurt that much, ya landed on me," he told her. Alana scoffed at him, rolling fully onto her back. Daryl stepped forward and leaned down to her. He helped her up. He was going to step away but when he saw her wince he held onto her arm. "Ya really hurt?" he asked.

The laughter was still in her voice. "Landed right on the kneecap," she said to him. "You need to be wider." Glenn choked out a giggle.

"Ya need to not be so damn clumsy," Daryl told her, pulling at her arm and slinging it around his shoulders. "Ya got this?" he asked Glenn, who nodded in turn. "This is why y'all lost the war," he muttered to Alana as he helped her back towards the gates. She punched at his side with her other arm and then rested it on his chest. Daryl held onto the wrist of her arm slung over his shoulders; his other rested around her waist.

Dale met them at the gates, pulling them open as they came up. Alana waved off his concern, telling him she had only taken a nasty fall, but it was nothing serious. Maggie had just come down from the guard tower and stood by the door, smirking with her arms folded. She shouted over that Alana was only looking to get out of watch duty in the evening. Alana countered that she still had one good leg.

Daryl guided her towards C-Block, his head angled to the ground below him. At the doors to the building he stopped for a second. Lucas was walking out; Daryl had to pull Alana back to avoid being smacked with the swinging door. Lucas halted quickly, holding up his hands and then leaning forward as he took in Alana. He asked if she was alright and what had happened.

"You need any help?" he asked Daryl.

Daryl shook his head, only looking at Lucas for a moment before his eyes wandered over the grounds. Lucas held the doors open as he guided her inside. His sight of the grounds diminishing, Daryl glanced to his left, seeing Carol.

She stood there, at the clothesline, not seeing him.

**I know I know. This chapter is shorter than usual. Wanted to keep writing, but felt that this was a good place to end it and start the next chapter. Starting with the next chapter, things are going to be slowly changing for the group at the prison. We are, as many of you are aware, nearing the Woodbury story arc of the comics/show. So while that is slowly being set in motion, there are also side plots of my own that we're going to be seeing soon. **

**So tell me, with Woodbury looming in the distant, the new intimacy between Daryl and Alana, Heath and Lucas now part of the group, Rick setting Carol in her place, what do you all think is in store for our little group of survivors? **


	68. Chapter 68

**Have been feeling ill and so haven't been going to Uni this week. So that means plenty of time to write! And look! A brand new chapter already! Yay! **

**Thanks to the new readers that have come on board. Thanks to .H who is slowly but surely catching up on all the chapters (: **

If he didn't say anything, didn't do anything, Daryl figured everything would be alright. If he just kept carrying on the way he was, then things couldn't possibly go wrong for him.

He had been at Alana's side for near on two weeks, day and night. At first he had been cautious. Paranoid. He would never enter a room with her or leave at the same time as her. He'd linger around in the evenings before retreating to the cell he shared with her and in the mornings he'd be one of the first to wake. If he was seen with Alana, he was doing one of three things; eating, patrolling, or sitting up in the guard tower.

And no one said anything.

So then he began keeping closer to her. The time between their comings and goings shortened until Daryl was no longer a shadow behind her, but a constant at her side. And for her part, Daryl could not be more silently thankful. He had seen what there was between Glenn and Maggie. Saw how neither cared what the rest of the group thought of them. But if Alana leaned on him as Maggie did to Glenn, Daryl was certain he'd twitch and jump right out of his seat. He was wary at first, how Alana seemed to be two different people all at once. When they were alone, she was completely his. But in front of the group, she was simply a part of a whole. She didn't hang on him or try to hug him. In fact, she acted nothing as if they were together.

But the group knew. Daryl moving his belongings to her cell sent the message clearly to the group. And it was well received. Daryl had not been cornered and confronted over Alana. No one had voiced concern for her. No one told him he wasn't good enough for her. No one blamed anything on him. He still caught on to things though. Like how when it came to sending pairs out for hunting or to take care of walkers that he and Alana always seemed to end up together. If Alana stepped outside the prison, Daryl was there with her.

And Daryl noticed how the group seemed to be pulling him closer towards them. With everything the group had been through, it felt like he had been with them for eternity. But never had he felt close to any of them. Even in the moments where the lead fell on his shoulders Daryl had never truly felt like he fitted within the group. He of course cared for the group, wanted to protect the group, but felt that his place was along the sidelines. In the shadows.

It wasn't that Daryl felt like he was being pulled to the center of the group. It felt like the group was coming to him.

After the incident with Alana and the pile of walkers, the group must have begun to feel it was safe to begin approaching Daryl and Alana as a unit. Dale, as expected, had been the one to open the floodgates. Daryl had helped Alana back to their cell after the fall and set her up before heading back out to deal with the pile of walkers. She had only badly bruised her knee and so Hershel had told her to take the rest of the day easy. As Daryl was heading back inside after a stint up in the guard tower Dale stopped him, asking how Alana was doing.

"Heard her up there telling Heath something about you not being wide enough to cushion her fall." Dale laughed at his own words.

Daryl looked down quickly at his feet and grunted. "Yeah, well if she's complainin' she can't be that broken."

"True. Very true." Dale looked up to the guard tower and nodded. "I'll cover her watch tonight," he told Daryl. "Let her know."

Daryl nodded and when he went to check on Alana told her what Dale had said. Heath was in their cell with her. He was sitting on the floor against the wall. When he saw Daryl he stood slowly and waved before walking out

Daryl thought that would have been it, but it wasn't. That evening during dinner Dale had walked into the cafeteria carrying that book. Carl was sitting with Alana. Daryl was at the kitchens, filling two plates with food. He came back to the table and set them down. He looked up as Dale came up and took the last spot with a smile, setting the book down. Daryl walked away, grabbing drinks for himself and Alana. Only a few bites into their meal, Dale spoke up concerning the book.

"Do you think Nymeria will ever show back up?" he asked Alana, and then looked over to Daryl.

Alana swallowed the bite of food in her mouth. After a moment she began nodding her head. "We didn't see her die, she just ran off," Alana thought aloud. "I think we'll see her again."

Dale, satisfied with her answer, turned his stare to Daryl. The younger man shifted in his chair, shoving food around on his plate.

"Should have killed Sansa 'stead of Lady," he muttered. "Girl ain't worth a lick."

Dale began to defend the young character of Sansa, but Alana held a hand up. "She's no match for the others. Her wits are nonexistent." Alana stabbed at a bit of food on her plate. "If she wants to survive, she better take a note from Littlefinger and Varys. Learn how to play the game." Daryl agreed with her.

Carl sat there, staring between the three of them, shaking his head. "What are you guys talking about?" he exasperatedly asked. Dale and Alana laughed. The former then began to explain the story to him. As he reached certain events in the story, Dale would stop and ask what Daryl thought of them. He already knew what Alana thought. Daryl would say a short reply and Dale would always agree with him, at least to a certain extent. When he had covered all he had read of the book so far—he was only about 100 pages from the end—Alana asked Daryl how far he was in to the second book.

"Ya read about Renly yet?" he asked Alana in reply.

Alana raised a brow. "No…what happens?"

Daryl shrugged his shoulders, taking a large gulp from his cup. Alana sneered at him. "He's so prissy."

"That's the gays for ya," Daryl told her and Alana's mouth gaped open. "What? Ya didn't know. Pretty damn obvious." Carl giggled at their banter as Alana argued that she had caught nothing about Renly being gay. "Ya ain't read about his _rainbow _guard, have ya?" After that, Alana had nothing else to say. She wanted to finish eating and get to reading.

Dale had then continued talking of the first book, making comments here and there about the characters, the writing, anything that would result in a reply from Daryl. And that must have been the tipping point. When the others saw how Daryl actually held a conversation with Dale, they must have thought it was safe to make their own approaches.

It had started with Daryl and Alana being paired up together for hunting and walker patrols. He was glad to have the time alone with her, but then he began to find himself stuck with others. He and Alana would return to the prison with their catch of the day, ready to sit down and get to cleaning the squirrels or whatever small animals they had. But once Heath had caught them at the gates, closing the last one and turning to grab their attention. He had asked if he could help clean them. With a pause Alana had stepped forward and handed her collection to him. So Daryl sat at one of the table outside and cleaned the small animals with Heath. The young man didn't say much, only made comments here and there. Then Lucas appeared and disappeared. Wandering off to grab some pans to toss the meat in. He stood there next to the table, rambling off a story of his first time hunting with his father. After that, Daryl found himself trekking off to hunt with Heath or Lucas behind him instead of Alana. He always noticed though, when they'd return to the prison, if Alana came by, Heath or Lucas would quietly excuse themselves and leave the two alone.

The others in the group would come around too. Glenn seemed to always be popping up. The nervousness about him faded over a few days, when Daryl failed to retaliate towards him for getting into his business. Whenever Axel saw Daryl without Alana at his side, he'd pipe up, "Where's that little German?" Or he'd make some comment concerning her, always with a crackling laugh. T-Dog treated him and Alana just the same as he always had, never caring to tread carefully over the eggshells around them.

It didn't take Daryl long to realize that no one really cared about what went on between him and Alana. They paid them as much attention as they did to Maggie and Glenn. Rick and Lori. The group was still functioning so what was the point?

But every well-oiled machine had its kinks now and then, Daryl knew this. Seemed that others knew this as well. A small group was heading out to check the roads; Alana, Daryl, Lucas, and Heath. Again, the weather was worsening, and Rick wanted to get a couple more runs in before they'd have to hunker down at the prison for the winter. Daryl had felt awkward; Alana was clearly in charge, but he found himself telling Heath and Lucas what to do. And the two men followed his every word. He would never be comfortable with others looking to him for guidance. To be a leader.

When they returned, Daryl was caught off guard, and more than confused, when Andrea approached him outside C-Block. She was only passing by, but stopped long enough to speak quickly to him. "Michonne's looking to talk to you. She's up in the tower." And then Andrea had walked off. Daryl stood in his spot, looking around. Seemed that no one had noticed her speaking to him. Alana was talking to Rick over by the cars. Heath and Lucas were already inside.

Why would Michonne be looking for him? And what could she possibly have to say to him? The woman never really spoke unless there was a reason to. And she rarely spoke to him. He wasn't even sure how much she talked to Alana.

Daryl headed into cellblock to drop off his gear before wandering back out towards the guard tower. He had passed Alana in the hallways, nodding to her with a quick glance. Daryl had no clue what Michonne had to say, so when he entered the tower room he closed the door and leaned against it. Waiting. Michonne had only looked over her shoulder to see it was him and then turned away again.

She nodded to the outside, towards where Carol stood with Lori, hanging up clothes. "You been watching her?"

"Take it ya have," Daryl commented, arms folded over his chest.

Michonne's shoulders rose and fell with a chuckle. "I'm out here just trying to survive. Check the roads, kill some walkers, waiting for when I don't have to worry whether or not another herd is gonna come through. Or worse. But I watch for more than just walkers. Up here, you see a lot. Just like, sitting in the corner of a room. Nothing gets past you." She looked slightly over her shoulder to Daryl. "Notice anything different about her?"

Daryl bit at the inside of his cheek. "Ain't been bothering me. Or Alana."

"Well she's been bothering someone else." Daryl pushed himself up taller against the door. "Heard her talking to Lori today, after you guys left. Suppose you'll be hearing from Alana soon enough, once Lori runs off and talks to her."

Daryl left the tower, his eyes darting, searching for Alana.

That night he waited for her to say something as they lied down to sleep, but she never said a word. And the next night she said nothing. For three days she said nothing. On the fourth, he was heading into the cellblock and found Lori standing there, looking up towards the second level. She was looking for Alana.

"Got somethin' to say?" Daryl asked her as he walked past her and up the stairs to his cell. Lori asked him if he knew where Alana was. "Up in the tower with your kid, talking 'bout space and Time Lords." Daryl came back downstairs and stopped just short of her. He asked her again if she had something to say.

"I was hoping to talk to Alana," Lori told him, resting her hands at her back.

"Got somethin' to say to her, can say it to me."

Lori bit at her lip, looking around the cellblock. With a small nod, she led Daryl through the halls until they reached the gym. It was empty. He closed the doors behind them and Lori walked over to the bleachers that had been pulled out to sit down.

"I think…something is wrong with Carol. The other day, when you two went to check the roads, she said some things to me."

"Ya tell Rick?"

Lori shook her head quickly. She spoke, rarely looking up to Daryl, the discomfort evident on her face. "She was just apologizing, for what she had done. For what she put the group through. Said she was just worried about you, wanted to look out for you. And then she…she talked about me. About Rick. How she was sorry that Rick had to keep an eye on her, that we had done so much for her. How grateful she was." Lori took a shaky breath. "She's been looking out for me a lot, fussing over me. It was nice, knowing someone was there. Rick, well, the whole group knows about him and me. So it was nice, having Carol there. I thought it was helping her. It helped me. But after what she said to me, about me, and Rick, I don't know. I…" Lori looked squarely up to Daryl. "I don't want her near my family."

"What she say to you?"

Lori shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Talked about Ed. How, when she got pregnant with Sophia she married him. Thought he would take care of her. She said she hates to be alone. She can't stand it." Lori paused. "Must be why she became so close to you, thought she wasn't alone anymore. The way that she talks now, about when the baby comes…"

"Like it's hers," Daryl finished. And Lori nodded.

"I know that we're a group. We need to look out for each other. I've been trying to do that, to keep her busy. Keep her from butting in on you and Alana. But I think she's taken it the wrong way and now I don't know what to do."

Daryl took let out a slow breath, unfolding his arms. "I'll talk to Alana. And Rick." Lori's head shot up at this. "Man deserves to know some whack-job is trying move in on his family."

"What could we do? How can this be…fixed?" Lori stared down at her hands, running them lightly over her growing belly. "Will it be okay, with you, if I asked Alana to…spend more time with me? I'm not moving around as fast as before—"

"Could just say ya ain't been feeling well, say Rick wants Alana to keep an eye on ya."

Lori agreed. "Would you mind? Will that be alright with you, and Alana?"

Daryl nodded. "I'll talk to her tonight. Ya want me to talk to Rick?" Lori shook her head, saying she would take care of it. She was beginning to feel a bit of relief over the matter. "Alright. I'll let Rick know the plan tomorrow."

Daryl walked with Lori back down the halls. She had been right about not moving as fast as she used to. She had begun to waddle, as pregnant women do. When Daryl reached the outside, his eyes scanned over the prison, looking for Carol. He didn't see her. He walked along the prison fences and peeked into the greenhouse where he spotted her with Hershel. She was smiling and talking to him as she planted new seeds in the soil. To keep up appearances, Daryl did a complete walk of the prison before heading back inside. As he came back in he passed Heath, Glenn, and Michonne. They were heading out to the fields to deal with two walkers. Passing Michonne, Daryl nodded his head to her. She nodded back.

When evening came, Alana had first shift up in the tower. Daryl and she had become accustomed to joining one another during watches. Alana didn't bother to look over her shoulder as Daryl entered the tower room, setting his things down and taking a seat. He rolled over to her side and she gently leaned against him for a moment, pressing her face into his arm before pulling away. It were those simple touches like that that she enjoyed most. He too enjoyed them. Daryl pushed himself forward, against the workstation, his elbows coming to rest on it. He looked out to the fields and prison grounds. Watching as Lucas and Maggie made a final round of the fences before heading inside.

"Lori was looking for ya today," he told her at first. He stole a glance at Alana when she asked why Lori had been looking for her. "Wanted to talk to ya. About Carol." He could see how Alana tensed up, no longer relaxed in her chair. She took a deep breath, waiting to hear what Daryl had to say. He recounted to her everything that Lori had said to him earlier. He paused then, trying to think over the past weeks, trying to figure things out. "Ya notice anything 'bout her lately?"

Alana thought for a moment. Truthfully, Alana hadn't been paying Carol much attention. She had seen her spending time with Lori, but had never thought anything of it. The woman was usually seen with Lori. But hearing what she had said to Lori, everything took on a new appearance.

"Has she said anything to you?" Alana asked Daryl, meaning Carol.

Daryl shook his head. And Carol had been leaving Alana alone as well. It was like the woman was there, but transparent.

"Lori's gonna talk to Rick," Daryl continued. "She wants ya to start spending some time with her. Gonna say that she ain't been feeling all that well. Rick'll ask ya to keep close to her, since you're a medic and all."

Alana nodded her head slowly. "And then Carol won't want to be around her, if I'm there." Daryl agreed.

He looked down to her at his side. "Ya okay with that?"

Alana peered up to him and bit her lip. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. Means I'll get to laze around a lot now," she mused. Daryl chuckled at her.

After an hour, Maggie came walking outside, a thermos and two cups in her hands. Daryl scooted away from Alana and to the door, opening it when Maggie got to the top of the stairs. She held the thermos and cups up. 

"Hot tea. Dad's planted some chamomile seeds," she told them with a smile. "Guess I'm strange, but I've always liked hot tea over iced."

"It's the proper way to drink tea," Alana told her, eagerly reaching out to take the thermos and cups.

Maggie looked over to Daryl and smiled and nodded. "Have fun guys," she told them. "Night." She turned and left, Daryl closing the door behind her.

He then rolled his chair back over to Alana who had poured him a cup of tea. He took a small sip, the steam rising up over his face. He set the cup down next to Alana's. When he saw her shiver in the corner of his eye, Daryl scooted closer to her, lifting an arm to wrap around her shoulders. Alana eased into him, leaning her head onto his chest. Her hand rested on his thigh. She looked down at her lap and smiled.

Alana looked back up to Daryl. "Should we be worried?" she asked him. Should they be worried about Carol?

Daryl thought on it, biting at his thumb and taking another sip of his tea. He shook his head. "Nah. Nothing to worry 'bout."

Alana looked away, back to the fields. Daryl told her again of how they would handle the situation. "If we gotta, can always try and talk some sense into the woman." Daryl paused and smirked. "Could hook her up with Lucas."

Alana snorted. "I don't take him as a cougar lover."

WDWDWDWD

The next day everything played out just as Daryl had told her things would. During breakfast Lori wasn't present. And after breakfast Rick had asked for a moment to speak with Alana. He led her to the cell he shared with Lori and Carl. There was Lori, sitting up in bed, reading a book. She gave a sad smile to Alana. Alana smiled back the best she could.

"Thank you," Rick said, rubbing Alana's back. "I'll get the word spread." He left the cell and Alana looked around, finally settling back on Lori.

"I appreciate this," Lori told her, putting the book down. "I'm sure you'll go stir-crazy by the end of the day, so thank you."

Alana nodded, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She glanced outside to the cellblock. "I didn't really plan anything, but, I suppose we could do a checkup. If Hershel hasn't done one lately."

"Yes, of course." Lori pushed herself off from the mattress. Alana came forward to lend her hand as she stood.

They walked outside the prison, bracing themselves against the coldness that struck them.

"How far are you now?" Alana asked once they were in A-Block and she had set things up to begin Lori's checkup. She grabbed a stethoscope and placed it against her belly, listening for the baby's heartbeat. "Six? Seven months?"

Lori nodded. "Somewhere along there," she said. "I either have four or three months left."

"And how are you feeling? Any changes?"

"No, nothing serious," Lori answered. "I have been getting more tired lately. Sore feet. Sore back. The common things that come with being pregnant," she said with a chuckle. Lori looked down at Alana's face, seeing how her eyes linger over her belly. At the scar. "There were complications, when I had Carl. Had to have a C-Section," Lori told her in a dull voice. Alana pulled back and lowered Lori's shirt. She in turn shrugged back into her large zip-up jacket.

"What were the complications?" Alana asked her, placing things back in their place in the medical ward. She listened with a dark mind as Lori told her.

"Carl was turned the other way, feet first. Doctors couldn't get him turned around. I was in labor for 16 hours. I didn't want the C-Section. Not because I didn't want the scar, I was just scared. But then the umbilical cord became wrapped around Carl's neck. I had no choice."

"We still have time," Alana said, turning back to Lori. "I'll speak with Hershel."

"I doubt he's ever performed a C-Section."

Alana shook her head, wiping a hand over her forehead. "Can't start thinking about that yet."

"But maybe we should start preparing for it." Lori stared over the ward. "It isn't an ideal place, but it's all we have."

Alana stood back as Lori rose from the cot. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," she told her.

On the way back to C-Block the two women encountered Carol in the hall.

She stopped, looking at the two of them, before focusing on Lori. "Are you alright?" she asked, stepping forward. "I heard Rick saying he was worried about you."

Lori smiled and waved a hand. "Just pregnant. He worries too much." She looked over to Alana. "Asked her to be my personal little helper. Wouldn't budge, so I gave in and said okay."

"The baby?" Carol asked and Alana noted the shadow that passed over Lori. She was sure instinct was telling her to clutch at her stomach. "Everything alright?"

"Baby's fine," Alana interjected. "Heartbeat is strong."

"That's good," Carol said, looking to Lori. She rubbed at her arm. "Well…don't you worry about anything. I'll take care of the clothes and cooking." She walked away from them and Alana saw Lori let out a breath she was holding.

The rest of the day the two of them moved around slowly from one spot to another. Alana kept her eyes open, ever watchful. She'd see Carol from time to time. The woman would walk by the cells, or the cafeteria, looking in on them. When she'd spot Alana, she'd keep walking on.

It was midday and the two were sitting in the gym, watching others in the group play basketball. Lori looked over to Alana, seeing her peer towards the doors. She knew that look. She was hoping to see Daryl come through those doors.

"I'm sorry you're stuck with me," Lori told her, drawing her attention away. "Just when you and Daryl were enjoying your peace together, I waddle in and ruin it."

"No!" Alana exclaimed. "No, you didn't do that. It's not as if I will go the whole day without seeing him. I'm sure he enjoys his time alone just as I do…I just get to spend mine with you—but that's okay. I don't mind." Alana smiled at her and Lori laughed.

Lori stifled a yawn and rested a hand on Alana's shoulder. "I think I'll head off and take a nap. Give you some freetime."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go bother Daryl," she joked. "She can't bother me if I'm asleep," Lori added in regards to Carol.

Alana escorted Lori to the cellblock and left her in her cell to sleep. Not knowing where Daryl was, she began walking around, trying to find him. She found him outside, sitting in some chairs with Axel at his side. The two were slid down in their chairs, staring out over the fields. They were talking about trucks.

When Axel turned around and saw her coming up, he said, "My little German!" thrusting his arms in the air and standing up. He clapped her on the back and grabbed another chair, dragging it over. "Where the hell you been all day?"

Alana slumped down into the chair, between Daryl and Axel. She looked to either side to them. "Playing doctor to Lori. She isn't feeling well."

"Oh, yeah?" Axel said. "Yeah, heard Rick saying something about that earlier. Guess this means you get to lay around till that baby pops out, huh? Hey! We got any baby formula? Gonna be needing it."

Alana said they did. "Grabbed all we could, back in that town. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah we did. Well, y'all did. I just stood around outside swinging a bat in the air."

Alana caught Hershel walking by, coming out from the greenhouse. She stood, rubbing Daryl's shoulder, and jogged a bit to catch up with Hershel.

"Have a word?" she asked.

The old man nodded, wiping his hands on his pants. "This a private matter?" Alana nodded. "Guess we should go for a walk then."

When they were away from the others, Alana began to speak.

"Lori was telling me about Carl's delivery. By C-Section. She has it set in her mind that it's going to be the same this time around." Alana wringed her hands. "You think we could actually perform a C-Section?"

Hershel sighed. "Wouldn't be my first. But I'm not sure…" He didn't finish the sentence.

Alana nodded. "I know. I've never done the procedure before. I know it'll worry others, but I think it's best to start preparing. We still have four, three months maybe. Might be that we can take a look at those maps. Maybe we can make another run, find more medicine, anything that might help."

"Would be wise to check with others, find out what blood type Lori is and who is a match," Hershel suggested. Alana agreed.

"I'm O+. Long as she isn't, I can give blood."

"So is Maggie," Hershel added.

"Well, that's a start. Guess the next step would be to talk with Rick."

"We can talk tonight, with him and Lori. I'll get them together, decide what we'll do if and when the time comes."

The two had come to the back of the prison. They stopped to look out over the fields. There was a walker out there. They watched as it came closer. It was at least 100 yards away. Even from that distance, the two could see how emaciated it was. Shoulder bones sharp and cruel, cheeks sunk fully in. Hair falling out in clumps and patches of skin hanging off.

And then, the walker just…stopped. For a moment it wavered. Then, with a strange grace, it slumped to the ground. It rested on its knees, staring at the ground.

Alana tilted her head as she watched it. It had been walking, had seen them surly, but there it was, just sitting down.

"Cold really is getting to them," Hershel mentioned. "That what the one on the road looked like, one Axel walked up to?" Alana told him yes.

"Will this winter get worse?" Alana asked, still staring at the walker.

"Seems like every year it gets a bit worse." Hershel hung a hand loosely on the links of the fence. "Makes me wonder how those things are going to fare through it."

WDWDWDWD

Daryl listened idly to Axel as he talked on about the first truck he drove. He had stolen it from his uncle. Well, as Axel put it, he borrowed without asking. Alana and Hershel walked past them. They were talking quietly; Hershel pointed towards the basketball court, to the large pole that jutted out from one end. Alana nodded her head at whatever he was telling her. Daryl squinted his eyes, watching as the two headed inside.

Nearly half an hour had passed before he saw her again. This time when she came out with Hershel, Rick and T-Dog were with them. Rick had a sour scowl on his face. He was shaking his head as Hershel spoke. T-Dog looked to be sighing, shaking his head as well. But neither held any strong conviction. The four of them had weapons on them. Alana carried a large rope. Rick had handcuffs on him.

"Well what we got going on here, huh?" Axel asked when he saw that Daryl wasn't paying attention to him anymore. The two watched as the quartet opened the gates and headed into the fields. Daryl got up and began making his way to the gates. Rick turned around and put a hand up, stopping him.

"Stay at the gates," he told Daryl and Axel.

In silence, the two watched as they slowly made their way around the prison, to the back. With the gates closed, Daryl and Axel could not just stand there and wait to see what was going on. They left their spot, coming to the back of the prison and looking through the fences. The four stood around what looked to be a downed walker. Daryl's heart lodged in his throat as he saw T-Dog and Rick approached the walker, pushing it into the ground as Alana crouched over it, snaking the rope around the waist.

"What the hell?" Axel muttered.

The two began moving as the group started dragging the walker. It seemed to have no energy, but still it lashed out at them, though with feeble, weak movements.

By the time the group had made it back to the front of the prison, Daryl was seething with anger as he yanked the gates back open with Axel. His eyes were shadowed as he watched Alana.

"You bringing that thing in here?" Axel asked the group, stepping back as the walker was dragged past the gates. "You lost your minds?"

"Ya mind explaining what's going on?" Daryl finally said, his eyes staring hotly at Alana.

But the group was intent on focusing on the walker, dragging it towards the basketball court. "Don't we have any chains?" Hershel asked. The group looked to Axel. He nodded vacantly before rushing off towards the garage. "And a lock!" Hershel shouted after him.

Rick took the rope from Alana and began wrapping it around the pole of the in-ground basketball system. He tied multiple knots and then stood back. Everyone watched as the walker slowly lashed out, trying to reach them. Axel came rushing back, chain and lock in hand. He muttered about not knowing where the key was.

"That don't matter," Rick told him. With caution, he and Alana wrapped the chain around the walker and pole. Once again they stood back and watched. It could not reach them. Rick looked to Hershel and Alana. "This was your idea, you two are responsible for this thing." The two nodded. Rick rubbed at his face, heading back inside to tell the others of their new guest.

Alana began to walk away. Daryl caught up with her and grabbed her arm, pulling him towards her. Keeping her close to him. He leaned down over her. "What the hell is that?" he asked her. He looked back over to the walker and then to the entrance where others had begun to come out. Andrea stood there. With Heath and Dale. And Carol.

Alana looked over her shoulder to them and then back to Daryl.

"A science experiment," she told him.

**BAM! For those that are familiar with the comics, you know what will be coming up soon (: hehehe, oh I'm so excited!**

**How are you all enjoying Daryl's closeness to Alana? Yay for him finally being somewhat used to things with her. I don't think he'll be skipping down the halls holding hands with her anytime soon, but he certainly has made progress. Doesn't look like anything could make him tuck tail and run away now from her. **

**What do you all think of Carol? I had tried writing the actual scene between her and Lori, but it was just too creepy to me haha. So I opted for this other way instead. For those that have read the comics, you'll be familiar with the crazy that is going on in Carol's head. She's pretty much trying to imprint herself into Lori's family, like a second mother/wife of sorts. In the comics she does say that she doesn't like to be alone, that she can't live like that. And so I'm playing off of that for this story. **

**How do you think things are going to go with the walker being chained up in the prison? Think Hershel and Alana will try any experiments on it, or just observe it? **

**And Lori! There could be possible issues when the baby comes. Think Alana and Hershel will be able to deal with it? **

**And lastly, be sure to review! Ramble on as much as you want in those reviews, I love reading them! Any time I hit a brick wall, I go back and read the reviews to get some fuel and start writing again (: **


	69. Chapter 69

**Yay! The semester is finally over and I am free! Free to be lazy! Free to stay up all night! Free to….wait a minute….I did those things already! **

**Hopefully now I'll be able to get back to posting a new chapter every week. What with all this free time on my hands now, I'll be doing a lot of writing, for myself and for this story (: **

**Thanks for all the reviews, new readers, followers, and all that good stuff. **

**A tip of the hate to decemberist: Carol totally is the dingo that ate everyone's baby! **

The tension was back in the air. Everyone was walking around on pins and needles. Eyes always shifting over towards the walker chained to the pole. When heading to the clothesline, the women gave it a wide berth. Everyone gave it a wide berth. Lori forbade Carl from playing out on the court; he had to stay inside in the gym. Hershel and Alana had to stand around a few times, explaining why they had brought the walker into the prison. They needed to know what affect the winter was going to have on the walkers. Not all the walkers were like this one, but more and more they were seeing ones similar to it. This walker, it just stood there, sometimes it would slump down against the pole. The group members could walk past it or even walk up towards it, and the walker would do nothing. Alana took note of how a large commotion was required to grab the walker's attention. Once, she and Michonne were standing a few feet from it, talking, but it did not notice them. It was when Daryl came out from C-Block, slamming the door back, that it jerked its head up and began to snarl. But still it didn't see them, only Daryl.

Daryl never allowed Alana to go near the damn thing alone. If he caught her on her own, he'd quickly make his way over to her, scold her for not having someone with her. "Well, you're here now," she'd always reply back with.

The others would approach, asking her or Hershel questions. Wanting to know what it was that they saw when they looked at the walker. The two would point things out and give explanations, theories. The skin was much more grey than before, suggesting decay. Using a machete, Alana had made a few cuts on the walker's arms. A rotten, black blood slowly crept out, thick like slime. Another sign of decay. Carl had asked why its eyes looked so funny. Hershel told him that likely they were drying up, making them look jelly-like.

"Does that mean eventually they won't be able to see anymore?" Carl had then asked.

But Hershel didn't have a sure answer for him. Even knowing what the group had learned at the CDC, without knowing exactly what the cause was they could never be certain of aftermath. Even if the walkers did eventually go blind, a herd was still a threat.

"What about their hearing?" Carl asked. He scrunched his face, thinking over what Alana had said a day before. "If they're decaying, their hearing should go too. At some point they should just fall apart."

"May very well be true," Hershel told him. "But like you and the others saw back in Atlanta, at the CDC, there's still some part of the brain at work. The exact details of the control it has over these things, there's no way of knowing right now."

That was the epitome of what Hershel and Alana were fighting. Trying to learn what they could about the walkers with only observation as their resource. Glenn asked about cutting a walker open, taking a look inside. But there really wasn't a point in doing so. They knew what was going on in there. Decay. It came to a point where Alana said that there was no reason in asking certain questions. Why did the walkers eat? What did it do for them? Were they in some way alive? If they were capable of growling, of making noises—that required air from the lungs—then surely they were somehow alive, weren't they?

She and Hershel reminded the group, there was one and only one question that was important.

How do we defeat them?

If they could wait it out long enough, would the walkers eventually just decay to the point of falling apart? Would the winter and forthcoming summer wreak havoc on their bodies and speed up the decomposition process?

The one question that kept coming up amongst the group was, "How long is it going to stay out there?"

Hershel and Alana didn't have an answer. Best they could do was, "Until we get answers."

A week went by with the walker tied up outside. The group was still hesitant, ever cautious around it. As expected, Axel lacked concern. He came to start calling the walker Black Betty. One day Daryl and Heath returned from a hunting trip with two rabbits and some squirrels. And what did Axel have to say to them?

"Y'all best not be giving Black Betty any of that. She going strictly vegan." He hollered with laughter, slapping his belly.

But nothing Axel said could crack a smile on Daryl's face. Everytime Daryl looked at that thing, all he saw was Alana. Saw that walker taking a chunk out of her. Saw her, clutching her side as blood stained her. Watching as she bled out.

He stalked Alana like a second shadow anytime she went outside to look at the walker. Got to a point where it didn't matter if someone else was with her; he'd still show up throwing his shadow over hers. Seemed the only time he'd leave her be was when she was of shadowing Lori. She had become ill again and Hershel thought it could possibly be the flu. The news sent a hushed panic through the group. Alana began remaining inside the prison with Lori. It was left to Hershel to watch the walker chained up outside.

"Learning anything worthwhile from that thing?" Lori asked her one day as they sat in the cafeteria, eating a late breakfast. No one else was in there with them.

Alana took a sip from her cup, shrugging. "Cold is certainly getting to them. Been a few days since we even saw another in the field."

"Maybe there's less of them now," Lori offered, but Alana could only shake her head and smile.

"Those things can 'reproduce' faster than we can."

"Well, it was a hopeful thought."

Alana agreed. She looked over her shoulder to the entrance. "How have things been?" she asked, Lori knowing she meant with Carol.

"She…apologized," Lori started. "That she doesn't know much anything medical, couldn't help me out. Chose my words carefully of course. Said that Hershel and you were taking care of me. And that's really all she's said to me about it. Hasn't mentioned anything about you. Or Daryl. To tell you the truth, she hasn't really paid me much attention for the past week or so."

Alana scrunched her brow. "What has she been doing then?"

Lori couldn't answer her. "Well she's still doing the wash, that's obvious. Been helping in the kitchen. Heard Hershel say she's been in the greenhouse. Aside from that, I don't know. She isn't causing any trouble, suppose that's what matters."

Alana nodded. "Yeah, suppose that's the best." Lori asked if Daryl had said anything to her about Carol, if maybe she had said something to him. "No, nothing. He hasn't told me anything. I'd think if she had said something, he'd be walking around here, huffing and puffing like men do."

Lori laughed at the thought. "Rick's been known to do that," she said, a ghost of a smile on her face.

Leaning forward, Alana asked, "How are you two?"

Lori sighed. "The same. Keeps himself busy. He's been dragging Carl around with him, though I guess I can't really say he has to drag him."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Alana had seen Carl following Rick around more and more often. Looking at him, all she could see now was a child soldier."

"He's a kid," Lori said. "He shouldn't be out, playing soldier." She sighed. "But I know, it isn't playing anymore. Still, losing his childhood, it isn't fair."

The two stopped speaking as Andrea walked into the cafeteria. She carried an empty water bottle. She gave the two a small smile as she passed by, heading into the kitchen.

"I'm going to head to the gym," Lori told Alana quietly. The younger woman nodded.

Andrea came to a stop next to the table after Lori had left. "You getting paid for this babysitting job?" she asked Alana. Admittedly, everyone was a little upset one way or another that Alana no longer had any watch duties, not since becoming Lori's personal caretaker.

Alana grabbed the dirtied plates and walked to the kitchen, speaking lowly to Andrea as she did so. "Doing it as a favor." Andrea raised a brow. "It's Carol." Andrea rolled her eyes.

"What did she do now?" she asked Alana.

Alana rubbed at her mouth, looking back over to the cafeteria entrance. "She was getting too close for comfort." For a moment Andrea just stared at her and then her eyes went wide, her mouth slowing dropping. "Yeah. I agreed to keep an eye on Lori so that she'd leave them alone."

"What did she say?" Andrea asked, but Alana only shook her head.

"I really don't want to know." She sighed. "The woman hasn't bothered them since."

"Anyone else know?"

Alana nodded. "Rick, Hershel, and Daryl." She looked back over to the entrance. "Better go."

When she reached the gym, Dale and Axel were there, setting things up so that a movie could be watched the next day. Lori sat on the bleachers, watching. Carol was not to be found.

Lori complained of becoming restless and asked if they could head over to the greenhouse. Hershel was bound to have something that they could do. Alana was hesitant, not knowing where Carol was. She headed out on her own, looking to find out Carol's whereabouts. Soon as she popped outside, she spotted her walking the fences with Lucas and T-Dog. Alana quickly returned inside, letting Lori know it was okay to head to the greenhouse.

It's how their every move was carried out; Alana would go ahead first, checking to see where Carol was at. Panic set in one day when she had left Lori in the cafeteria as she had gone up to the tower to speak with Rick and Daryl. She had told them that they needed to do one last run, for horse feed, before they settled in for the winter. If not…well they'd be eating horsemeat for a while. As she returned to the cafeteria, Alana could hear voices. One of them being Carol's. She steeled her face as she entered, but the breath in her relaxed as she saw Carol, off at a different table from Lori's.

Lori sat at a lone table, away from the others. Away from Carol.

Andrea and Michonne sat with her.

"Thought maybe you could enjoy some free time," Andrea later told her as the others were heading off to bed. She, Alana, and Michonne were outside, staring at the walker. Michonne had filled Andrea in on what she knew about the Carol situation.

"How much longer you got playing protector?" Michonne asked Alana.

She vaguely counted the months on her fingers. "Two, three months. Three at the most."

"Any talk about what's going to be done when the baby comes?" asked Andrea.

Alana shook her head. "I think we're all trying to ignore that until the last minute." She sighed. "When I've checked on her, she has a C-section scar." Michonne and Andrea were quiet. "I've never performed one," she chuckled darkly. "Hershel has—I've asked him. Of course, those weren't on humans."

"Have you asked why she had the C-section?" Michonne asked.

Shaking her head, Alana said, "Suppose I better ask soon." She looked over towards A-Block. "The medical ward is decently stocked. When the time comes, we can turn the generators on. It's not exactly ideal to perform surgery in, at least this sort of surgery, but we have the meds and supplies needed."

Andrea crossed her arms, stepping forward to the walker. It had its back turned to them. "If it comes down to surgery, why not get some practice in?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "Not like they can complain about the pain."

Michonne and Alana cringed. "We have any gasmasks?" the former asked.

"Guess I'll be having a chat with Hershel tomorrow then," Alana told the other two, taking a step back. "Night." She waved a hand as she headed back to C-Block; Michonne and Andrea went for a check of the fences before coming inside as well.

Alana stopped by Lori's cell to make sure she didn't need anything and to tell her she wanted to discuss something the next day. Carl was in the cell with her, sitting on the floor as he undid his shoes. As Alana left, Carol walked past her, two pillows in hand. She could vaguely hear her talking to Lori. Something about her needing more cushioning. Alana shook her head; she couldn't guard Lori all the time, the woman was bound to get to her every now and then.

As Alana changed for bed, her thoughts slowed down, till all came to a standstill and focused on Lori and the baby. A dreary panic settled in her stomach. The delivery of the child would prove dangerous no matter what. Women had been giving birth since the dawn of women; there was nothing that said Lori couldn't handle the birthing. But women had not always had C-sections. For this reason, Alana could not help but begin to panic. She was not ready for this. And if things went wrong…tomorrow. Tomorrow she had to speak to Hershel. And Lori and Rick. With possibly only two months left, they couldn't stall any longer. They needed a plan. Alana needed a plan.

Daryl came into their cell after the first night shift to find Alana awake. She had sat up soon as she heard him on the stairs. He quietly set his things down, eyes wandering over to her. He began removing his clothing and changing into what he considered his sleeping gear. He wore a hoodie, as Alana did, and a thick pair of winter pants.

"You're steady with a blade," Alana said, "when it comes to cleaning." Daryl watched her as he sat down on the mattress next to her. "I might need your help."

"With what?" he asked.

"With Lori," Alana answered quietly. Daryl scrunched his brow. "I'm not sure about this baby." When Daryl finally nodded Alana felt a slight relief. "I'm going to talk to Rick and her tomorrow. And Hershel."

The next morning, Alana pulled Lori aside and spoke of her concerns. "I think we should plan on performing a C-section," she told her.

Bleak as the thought was, Lori had known that it would likely be the only choice.

"We'll still monitor the baby, do everything we can to keep from having to do the C-section. But—"

"It'd be best to plan for the worst," Lori finished. Alana grimaced slightly and Lori waved her off. "It's the truth. We…plan for the worst and hope for the best."

"I'll go and find Hershel then. Andrea suggested maybe we practice the walkers," Alana told her.

They were in the greenhouse; Alana left Lori there. As she walked back to C-Block she flagged Axel down. "Go keep an eye on Lori for me," she told the man. He gave her a mock salute and started heading over to the greenhouse.

When she found Hershel, Alana then went and grabbed Rick. And Daryl. They all made for the library, closing the doors behind them. Alana began by speaking directly to Rick. She could tell he had been thinking of the baby's delivery soon as she opened her mouth. He had been having the same thoughts as her. Try as he might to distance himself, to simply look at this as protecting his family, he still saw Lori as his wife. The attachment was still there.

"I have no experience with this," she told him. "But I believe it can be done. We turn those generators on…if she ends up needing blood donor, I'm O+. Anyone else O or a match to her can give too."

Rick could only nod at her words. He raked a hand through his hair. "I don't want to worry the others." Alana quickly thought of Carl.

Nodding, she told him, "Daryl's good with a knife. And Hershel's at knows the procedure, more or less. We can start practicing on the walkers. Daryl can show me the knife skills and Hershel, the steps."

"Think it best if we show some of the others what all will be needed to get done," Hershel added. "Maggie used to help me on the farm."

"Good," said Rick. "You and her can help Hershel when the baby comes," he told Alana.

"Ya wanna tell the group 'fore we start carving up walkers?" Daryl asked.

Rick said yes. "I'll tell everyone tonight. After I talk with Lori and Carl."

As Daryl and Alana sat up in the guard tower later that day, Daryl could tell something was bothering her. "Ya alright?" he asked, knowing full well what her answer would be.

Alana shrugged. "You ever get a feeling that something…horrible is going to happen? Or you catch yourself thinking of something horrible, and then you worry that it may actually happen, all because you thought of it?"

His thoughts of the walker attacking Alana popped into his mind. "Sometimes."

Alana looked over at Daryl. He sat in a chair towards the door. She lowered her head. "Being pregnant, it's like a death sentence. And I think Lori knows that. I think she's known from the start."

"Ain't like we're gonna cut her in half. Just gotta make a cut big enough to yank that kid out," Daryl said after a huff and Alana smiled. "Skin stretches, don't ya know that, medic?"

Alana kept quiet for a moment. "Guess I'm just used to Wilhelm keeping me calm. He never left much room for worrying."

Instinctively, Daryl rubbed a finger over the ring on his hand. There was worry in his eyes the night he died, worry over the thunderstorms and Alana. It had left though, when Daryl said he'd look after her. There was calm in his eyes then.

Rubbing at her knee, Alana stood from her chair. "Be right back. Time for some drugs." She kept her head down as she walked towards Daryl, steps taking her to the door. He reached out at her wrist and pulled her back. Her rubbed circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. "Everything's gonna be fine," he told her. He squeezed at her wrist and Alana nodded. Looking out the window, Daryl knew the others couldn't see them, being so close to the door. He stood, cupping her face in his hands and kissed her lightly. Alana wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into him. Daryl pulled her arms away from him and reached for the door. "Sit your ass back down," he told her, heading to get the painkillers himself.

WDWDWDWD

When it came time to begin slicing walkers up, Axel's Black Betty was first in line. A desk from one of the offices was placed inside the cellblock of B-Block. The lighting was good and at least in there the stench wouldn't bother anyone, aside from those who had to do the slicing. Maggie and Alana stood back and observed as Hershel and Daryl went over the basics. Both women stood the majority of the time with hands covered their mouths and noses. At first they were just shown how deeply they'd have to cut.

"You don't want to cut too deep, just enough to get past the muscle," Hershel told them as he made an incision.

"Like gutting those squirrels," Daryl said to Alana.

"That is not a squirrel," Maggie told him. "That is gross."

For the first few days, all they did was practice their cutting skills. At the end of each day, both women took showers, scrubbing at their skin harder than needed. When Hershel began showing them a mock C-section, Daryl took a step back and watched alongside with them. Every few days a walker would be brought in and the two would alternate performing the surgery. During one day, Rick joined them. He watched as Maggie cut the walker open, never saying a word. When the trial was over, he nodded at them and left, without a word.

Hershel and Alana agreed that their observation of the walkers needed to be put on hold; preparing for the possible surgery was a priority. They others didn't mind not having a walker chained up in the prison. But with walkers appearing to become scarce with winter, soon walkers were being chained back up on the basketball court. Sometimes there was no telling when a walker might wander into the fields—a female walker. Two weeks went by at one time before they got lucky and one showed up. Thankfully, as Hershel and Alana had noted, the cold was mellowing them out, and the group didn't have to worry much about the walker lashing out at them when they were outside near it.

If Alana wasn't with Maggie, practicing on the walkers, she was at Lori's side. A few times Daryl would even join them. He didn't say much, just remained in the back, listening to whatever conversation they were having. When he'd get up and leave, Lori would smile at his retreating back. Alana would smirk.

He had been listening to their talk and his mind was unsettled when they mentioned a supply run. He knew one needed to be made; he just didn't want Alana going. It was for selfish reasons; he wanted her there at the prison, safe. If something happened out on the run, he wanted it to happen to someone else. Not her. He went looking for Rick and found him in the guard tower. Carl was with him.

"Gotta talk to ya 'bout something."

Rick nodded and jerked his head to the door. With a sigh Carl stood and left. Daryl waited until he figured the boy was at the bottom of the steps before speaking.

"Ya planning a supply run?" he asked Rick and the man nodded.

"We'll be needing more feed for the horses. And anything else we can find. I don't want to be sending anyone out until this winter is past us."

Daryl pulled out a chair and sat down, biting at his thumb. "I don't want ya sending her out there." Rick heavily nodded his head, knowing that at some point Daryl would say this. "Send the others out instead." He meant Lucas and Heath. The two had proven capable on runs. "Ya really think it fair to be sending her out every time? You the one saying well all gotta help out. So, make them help out."

"I'll speak with her about it," Rick told him. "If she wants to stay on with the supply runs I'm not going to stop her, that's her choice. Not mine. Or yours."

Daryl huffed, lightly slamming a fist on the table as he stood and left the guard tower. He'd make sure that Alana didn't go on the supply run. He went searching for Lucas or Heath. Either would do. He nearly walked past the cafeteria completely before catching sight of Lucas. He was sitting at a table with Carol and Dale, the three of them snacking on cookies and tea. Daryl jerked his head towards Lucas.

"Gotta speak with ya," he said before turning and heading down the hall. In a few moments Lucas was behind him, steps quick to catch up with him. They stopped on the far end of the cellblock. No one was in there aside from them. And Daryl knew exactly where Alana was at that moment; over in A-Block looking for some medication for Lori.

Lucas stood before him, hands at his hips and took a quick glance over his shoulder. "What's up?" he asked, facing Daryl again.

"Rick's gonna send a group out, get supplies, check the roads." Lucas nodded his head. "Don't want Alana going."

He was ready to keep talking, to flat out tell Lucas that he and Heath would be going and Alana remaining behind. But Lucas cut him off all too eagerly. "Yeah, understand. You and Rick going, right? Me and Heath can go too. Best she stay here anyways, what with Lori and the baby."

Daryl nodded stiffly. Lucas began asking him mundane questions about the supply run as they left the cellblock. Before reaching the cafeteria, Lucas turned back around, saying he was going to go tell Heath. As he passed the cafeteria, it dawned on Daryl that Heath was outside with the horses.

Daryl could tell by the stare Alana had sent his way during dinner that Rick had spoken to her. While the others were settling in for the night he stealthily followed after her through the halls. She glided right past the room they had once regularly occupied, slipping into the next one. He closed the door softly behind him and turned to see her leaning against the desk, arms folded across her chest. In the faint light he could see the scowl on her face.

"I'm guessing this was all your doing?" she asked as he stepped towards her, stopping at the ice in her voice.

"Better if ya stay here," he told her.

Alana shook her head. "Better for who? You?"

"You think ya got endless luck? Ya ain't some untouchable." His words came out harshly, but Alana didn't flinch as he closed the gap between them. Daryl breathed heavily through his nostrils, running a hand through his hair, resting it at the back of his neck. "Should be staying here with Lori, keep an eye on her."

Alana pressed herself up from the desk lightly. "You may actually care about Lori and that baby, but don't use it as an excuse." Her eyes never left his face though his darted away. Alana bit her lip. "And don't say 'it's what Wilhelm would want.'"

It took Daryl a moment to say anything. "Don't want ya going out there unless there ain't no way round it. _I_ don't want ya going out there. Safer in here."

Slowly, Alana nodded her head, lowering her arms. She leaned back against the desk as Daryl's hands rested at her waist, thumbs digging into her hips. She rested her hands loosely over his arms, pushing herself up onto the desk. Without hesitation Daryl pulled her against him, his legs knocking against the desk. It took only the slightest guidance now for Daryl to approach her, newly bold with her. He groaned into her mouth when she wrapped her legs around his waist. Knowing the layout of the offices were the same, he picked her up, carrying her over to the couch. He turned around, sitting himself down as she straddled him. She sat up to remove the heavy sweater she wore. Daryl took the moment to look towards the window; the blinds were closed and he knew he had already locked the door. He looked back to her as she cupped his face and kissed him again. The room was cold but her skin burned under his hands. She moaned quietly every time he pushed up against her until her hands were reaching for his jeans.

Daryl grabbed quickly at her hands, trying to calm his breathing before he spoke. "You still taking those pills or whatever ya got?" he asked her, his lips still trailing kisses over her. He stopped and looked up at her.

"No. No, I ran out," Alana answered. Daryl sighed loudly. "You want to finish this back in the cell?" she asked, pulling gently back from him. In the darkness Daryl shook his head, pulling her towards him. He could feel her smile against his lips.

Alana unwrapped his hands from her, standing to remove her jeans. Daryl followed suit, guiding her back atop him. He moved slowly underneath her, stopping when she pressed her hands against his shoulders. His hands rested at her waist, balancing her as she moved against him. He pulled her closer to him as her rhythm grew faster. He could feel her shudder around him. Quickly as he could, he pulled her to the side, guiding her onto her back on the couch. He hovered over her, his thrusts quick and deep. As he felt his end nearing Daryl pulled back from her and Alana felt a warmness cover her stomach.

She kept quiet as Daryl gathered her clothing for her, setting everything on the couch. He wasn't very good at finding the proper way to act towards her afterwards. He wasn't one for conversation to start with. The two redressed and Daryl guided her out of the room and back to the cellblock. He looked up to the second level to see Heath sitting there, legs dangling over the edge. He looked bored out of his mind. When he saw Daryl and Alana, he stood quietly and waited for them to reach their cell.

"Can I borrow the DVD player?" he asked Alana and she laughed.

She handed him the player and a pair of headphones. Daryl stood outside their cell while she did so. Once Heath was back in his own cell, Alana began pulling the covers back on the mattress. Daryl had stepped inside, but then turned around, saying he was going to get something from the cafeteria. Alana waved a hand over her head as she curled under the covers.

He walked quietly to the cafeteria, stopping at the entrance and just staring inside. He left it, empty as he had found it. Making his way back to cellblock he climbed the stairs, steps muted. He took a now third glance into the cells as he passed them by.

Carol's was empty.

**Oh snap! Where's Carol? Where that dingo go to? **

**I'll try to get the next chapter posted next week! **


	70. Chapter 70

**Gah! I've been soooo busy! Instead of making you guys wait longer, here's a little something to pass the time (: Next chapter may take some time to get up as well, but it will be longer. After this chapter, we're kicking it into high gear and prepare for drama bombs! The peaceful rest for the group is coming to an end! **

The next morning when he saw Carol, nothing seemed amiss to Daryl. She was helping to prepare breakfast with T-Dog and Maggie, chatting lightly with the two. Daryl looked round the cafeteria. Not a damn thing looked out of place. No one was stealing worried or angry glances towards Carol. He watched as Lori came to join the others, Alana right behind her. Neither wasted a single second on Carol. So there was nothing there either. He kept an eye on Carol the rest of the day nonetheless. There was nothing broken in her routine. She did the washing, went to the greenhouse, trailed behind the others from time to time. She had begun going through the books in the library. Depending on who was up in the guard tower, she go and join them, reading her books. No one made any complaints about her; Daryl supposed she kept to herself, didn't bother anyone.

The supply run was set for the coming week. Daryl found he had grown two shadows. Once Rick had told the group that the run would be happening, Heath and Lucas seemed to always be at his back. Though Rick would be going on the run as well, both knew it would be Daryl in charge. So they started joining him during watches. He complained of it to Alana one day and she laughed at him. She knew one reason for him being upset was that having those two around meant he wasn't going to dare try anything with her.

"Not enjoying your time playing Big Brother?" she teased him.

Daryl had scowled and huffed at her comment, looking forward to having the run be done with already. It felt strange to him on the day that they left when Alana was not in the car with them. She stood at the gates with Dale and T-Dog as Rick drove the car off down the road. During the ride Daryl would glance over to Rick, expecting to see Alana there instead. He thought that having her remain back at the prison would make things easier on him, that his worry would decrease. The further they drove from the prison the more that worry grew. They may have had the walkie with them, the group could radio them if something happened, but it would do little good. They'd have to get back to the prison first to get anything done. Little by little Daryl came to realize, likely not for the first time, that no matter what he did he'd never be content with Alana's safety.

Alana remained busy for the day, moving about the prison constantly, on full alert. There had been no walkers that morning, just the most recent one that was chained up on the basketball court. Plan was to cut into it in a few days, build up a bit more practice for herself and Maggie.

Chores for the day were sparse; many in the group wanted to be available when the others returned. "We haven't been out in a while. If there's any walkers just hanging about, sound of that engine may draw them back here," Alana had told the group when the others took off. "Best to keep our eyes open." She suggested they double the watch for the night. Michonne, Andrea, and Dale were quick to volunteer. Alana was stopped by Lori while she was heading up to her cell to grab a thicker coat early in the morning.

"I know Rick said they'd be back today, but do you have a plan? In case they don't."

Alana nodded. She and Rick had discussed it. "If they're not back by tomorrow afternoon, and there's no radio contact, we head out. Me and Michonne. Watches for the night are already doubled. Best we can do."

"Well, it's getting really cold out there. Carol had said something about making some chili for dinner tonight. For the boys when they get back."

Alana shifted her weight, arching a brow. "She say that to you?"

Lori said she did. "You've been busy today." She looked around the cellblock. "Stopped me earlier, in the cafeteria."

"She say anything else to you? Ask you anything?" Alana could feel the hairs on her neck bristle.

"No," Lori told her, shaking her head. "Didn't even ask how I was feeling, anything about the baby. Almost like she didn't even care to mention the dinner idea to me. So used to us being attached at the hips, haven't really noticed her, you know?"

Alana agreed. "Daryl says he hasn't been bothered by her. And Michonne…" Alana scoffed. "Has eyes and ears everywhere. She hasn't told me anything lately."

"Guess there isn't anything to say," Lori thought. She then asked Alana what she thought about the idea for dinner. "I don't know if she was hoping I'd say I would help out. I have to admit, I wouldn't mind it. Not a lot of excitement around here lately for me," she laughed.

"See if Maggie will help too," Alana suggested.

It ended up being Axel that helped Lori and Carol with dinner. He said being stuck in the hot kitchen was better than up in the cold guard tower. Alana walked past the kitchen a few times, just taking quick peeks in. She'd catch snippets of Axel's conversations; Lori and Carol were always either smiling or laughing. Alana actually found herself wishing they weren't. It left her unsettled to see Carol interacting so smoothly with others. It felt…unreal. Forced. When the pots of chili had nothing left to do but sit and simmer, Carol was left in the kitchen by herself to keep an eye on them. She sat at a table, book opened before her. Alana caught Lori as she came outside to check on Carl, asking about Carol.

Lori had nothing much to say. "Everything was fine." She bit her lip. "It felt wrong." Alana asked what she meant by it, but Lori didn't answer.

The group returned back to the prison a few hours later, arriving just in time as the others were preparing to sit down and eat. They didn't have much to tell as far as the run went. The only walkers they saw were those that had been killed previously by them. As everyone sat down to eat Alana remained quiet, listening and watching. Lori's words played through her head. She looked over to Daryl who sat at the table with her. She found his eyes wondering towards Carol as well. There she sat, with T-Dog, Lucas, and Heath. Joining in quietly on conversations. Laughing at remarks. It did, it did feel wrong.

This was not Carol.

Carol didn't so freely interact with the others. What was she getting out of all this? She had just been pulling away from everyone, burying herself in those books stacking up in her cell. And now she was sitting there, actually acknowledging the rest of the group. Acting like none of them had ever shunned her. And the group was doing the same. Alana made contact with Lori, both looking to each other across the tables.

This all felt wrong.

Knowing she was the best one to go to, Alana asked Michonne if she had noticed anything about Carol lately. "One day she's shacked up in the library and the next she—"

"Won't shut the hell up," Michonne said. Alana nodded. "Saw her the other day in the greenhouse with Hershel, just running her mouth off. Don't have a clue what they were talking about, but when the old man talked, she practically hung on every word."

"Seen anything else?"

"She been doing this a few days now. Even came trying to talk to me up in the tower."

Alana shook her head, confused. "Is she trying to start anything again?"

"Didn't mention you at all. Or Daryl. Don't know what she's up to."

Alana kept expecting something to happen. Waiting for someone to mention Carol. To say that she crossed a line again. Waited for Lori to come to her. She began to feel silly, always asking Daryl if Carol had said or done anything. With each week that passed, her inquiries slowed. Could it be that Carol was finally becoming part of the group? Had they just been too harsh on her, believing that she couldn't be valuable to the group? Be reliable? She scoffed. No, she couldn't be relied on. At least to not protect others. She wouldn't trust the woman to watch her back; she'd end up with a walker taking a chunk out of her.

But what could she do? The woman was doing nothing wrong. The group was not complaining of her. There was nothing she could do. Though it sounded strange, Alana found herself noticing Carol less now. She didn't stand out as much. The woman still did little around the prison, but that paranoia that had followed her around was fading.

WDWDWDWD

Daryl sat up in the guard tower, watching over the midday fields. Before coming up he had helped Alana drag a fresh walker onto the grounds, chaining it up. Maggie was wanting to do some more practice. His eyes wandered over towards the doors of C-Block anytime someone came out. He grunted as he saw Lucas walk out and head towards the tower. Just what he wanted, company. Daryl shook his head as he heard the footsteps come up the stairs.

Lucas gave a faint knock as he opened the door, taking a look around the room. He spotted Daryl and nodded, letting the door close quietly behind him. He scratched at his head and took a seat, adjusting the beanie cap on his head.

"Can I ask you something?" he said to Daryl, not looking at him.

"If I say no?"

Lucas chuckled. "Well…figure you'd be the best one to ask. You're not exactly one for sugarcoating things."

Daryl looked slowly over to him. "What ya want to know?"

"Haven't really heard about everything that's gone on in this group. Doubt Alana has told me everything. Dale…can't get him to shut up sometimes. Don't think he's saying all he knows though."

Daryl looked over as Carl came out from C-Block, going into the greenhouse.

"Didn't want to just go off and start asking people questions. Wasn't sure about asking Alana. I've noticed she doesn't really talk to you either, so thought I'd ask you." Daryl turned to Lucas. "Carol…what did she do? Must have done something. Never see her and Alana within ten feet of each other."

Daryl hung his head, biting back on his words. "Crazy bat left Alana on the farm. Andrea too."

"Hershel's farm?" Lucas asked and Daryl nodded. "That's why they don't talk? Don't see her talking to you either. Alana told me a bit, about you and her."

"Ya got a point to make?" Daryl asked with tension.

"She's been hanging around others lately, hasn't she?" Lucas pointed out.

"So? Ain't causing trouble."

Daryl turned away from Lucas, wishing the he would just leave.

"Look," Lucas told him with a sigh. "She's creeping me out, alright? I try to do my shifts and she always shows up. Asking if I need anything, bringing me snacks. I can't even have a night to myself up here. She comes in here and reads a book."

"She's botherin' everyone."

"Yeah, well, not for the last few days. Admit it, none of you have been keeping tabs on her like you used to."

Daryl looked down at the table. He couldn't deny it. "Yeah, what of it? Bout time we didn't have to babysit her."

"Listen, I know about her, about Ed, Sophia. That woman has been used to getting the crap beaten out of her, of following orders. Having people pity her. She barely does anything around her. We all know her type. She _wants _to be taken care of. That's why she went after you, isn't it? Thought you cared 'cause you were out looking for her kid." Lucas shifted in his chair. "I think she's trying to get us to care again. She's lonely. She had been following Heath around—that only lasted a few days. Since then, I can't shake her, man." He laughed. "I'm sure if I asked, she'd wipe my ass for me."

Daryl turned his chair fully, watching Lucas, brow furrowed. This all sounded too familiar to him.

"She asked me yesterday about Alana. Asked if I _liked _her. Saying it was too bad she was taken, we'd make a cute couple." Lucas shook his head. "I told her I never saw Alana like that. She's a sister to me. Then…she wouldn't stop. Just kept asking, wanting to know if I ever liked Alana." Lucas scratched at his arm, looking towards A-Block. Daryl watched him. The thud of the doors to C-Block wafted up to the tower, but he didn't turn to look. "Last night, during my watch, she came up here. She…I don't know. I think she was trying to come onto me. Talking how others in the group have each other. You and Alana, Rick and Lori, Glenn, Maggie. Asked if I was missing out. Thought I was being funny, I told her I'd just as soon shack up with Heath. It was just a joke, said at least I wouldn't have to worry about knocking anyone up. It was a _joke._ I didn't know what to say to her. But…I don't think she saw it like that." Lucas sighed, slouching in the rolling chair.

"Ya think that's why she's been going round lately—"

"Talking everyone up. Yeah. Wants someone to take care of her."

Daryl grunted, shaking his head. He needed to talk to Rick. "Woman only knows how to be a victim," he muttered.

Lucas blindly nodded. "What should I do? You think I should tell someone else? Rick?"

Daryl shook his head again. "Ignore her. Go hang out with Alana," he said. "She won't go anywhere near—"

There was no scream to draw his attention. Daryl had been looking at the floor. It was when he looked up to Lucas that he saw something was wrong. The young man had sat up in his chair, looking down to the prison grounds. His face was ghost white. Daryl turned to stare out towards C-Block. But his eyes drifted from the doors. He could see Carl standing at the foot of the basketball court, motionless. A gun hung loosely at his side in his hand. He looked ready to raise it. Before him, the walker was still chained to the pole. It was crouched on its knees, snarling and smashing its teeth together, arms stretched out. Clawing at the air. Brightly colored blood cascaded down from its mouth.

Just out of its reach, Carol had fallen to her side, a hand loosely held against the leaking hole in her neck.

Neither Daryl nor Lucas could move. They could not look away.

Others came rushing out as Hershel yelled from the greenhouse, his weary legs carrying him quickly to the scene.

The only sound that reached Daryl's ears was the soft _pop_ as Carl's gun went off.


	71. Chapter 71

**My people! I have returned from the depths of hell! Screw you hell, I'm Dean Winchester, I'll claw my way out! And then die again. And again. And…well you know how it goes. **

**The year has been crazy. Uni was a nightmare up to the very last day. Work has been one small, annoyingly slow step at a time. Add to that having to babysit a kitten all day and all night, and you're left with pretty much no life. **

**And it did not help that when I came round to wanting to write, I just could not for the life of me write anything that I liked. Makes me want to cry those silent tears of anger when I think of how many pages I deleted while trying to write this chapter. And this past season was NO help at all. Yes, yes, everyone is entitled to feel whatever they want about Season Three, but I despised it. Now I can get past and accept that it did not follow along with the comics, but I felt extremely let down by the storytelling and disappointed with Kirkman's chokehold on things. **

**I thought this anger at the show would be fuel to write, that I'd sit there and think, "Yeah, I'm going to show that bastard, this is how a story goes. Gonna write what I want." And instead it didn't turn out that way. My distaste for the season left me unable to even be able to think within that world so I could write this story. **

**I've taken some time though and watched other shows, to get Walking Dead out of my mind completely. To be able to start fresh. What kickstarted me writing this chapter was the emergence of information on the fourth season. Anyone who visits the site io9 knows that always do a Morning Spoilers article. Well I read about the filming of the first episode for Season Four and it sadly let me down. What it all boiled down to was this: the crew was excited about sticking every walker gimmick from the past seasons into the very first episode. Now this makes me sad. I understand the gimmicks, I really do. They are part of the show. But for once, just once, couldn't they be excited about the storytelling? Instead of beaming about a new walker killing technique, couldn't they be excited about having just filmed an intense scene, something that challenged them? So after reading that I knew I needed to get back to this story before more info begins to come out as well as the season or else it'd be just more difficult for me to continue writing. **

**Now I know this chapter isn't as long as the ones in the past, but with what it's focusing on, it seemed right to keep it short. My aim will be to have another chapter up at the end of the week after I plot out what will happen in the next chapter. I have to decide whether to do a time passage or continue at the same pace. **

Strangely enough, it felt like they were back on the farm the day Shane opened the barn. And it felt like that night the walkers came down on them at the campsite outside of Atlanta. It felt just like the first time they each witnessed a walker attack. They were stuck inside a tunnel, at the very end, while the world went on down at the other end. Much as any of them wanted to react, to say something, to even move from their spot, they just couldn't. This was no walker attack. Not a proper one. Seeing others cut down by walkers was a thing of custom now. Dying any other way was foreign.

In that moment, they were each in their own tunnel, unable to get to the other side. To regroup.

It hadn't taken long for the group to assemble outside of C-Block. Though Carl's gun was fitted with a silencer, the soft _pop_ caught everyone's attention. It was known right away that it had come from within the grounds and that sent all rushing to get outside. Lori and Maggie had stayed behind in the cellblock at Rick's orders, but when no shouts came from outside and the silence turned cold, the two women made their way out.

Instinct slowly crawled to the forefront and the group found itself looking to Rick. He had come to stand in front of Carl, pushing him from the scene. The reflection in his eyes was shattered as he pieced it all together. It had been Carl. His son. For a moment, Rick looked frustrated while staring down at Carol's form.

It was Michonne's voice that rattled all of them as it traveled down the tunnels they were each trapped in. She stepped back from the scene, turning on her heel and heading for the greenhouse. "We're gonna need shovels."

Rick began telling others to grab sheets to wrap Carol's body in, to get rid of the walker, clean the mess up. Orders. He gave them orders as if this was any other day And one by one, they either stood aside or followed Michonne. Others went to retrieve sheets, dumped the walker, cleaned the area. They did it all in near silence.

Alana looked for Daryl, but she knew he had gone off with Michonne. Andrea and T-Dog with them. As they passed her by, on their way to dig Carol's grave, Daryl had not raised his eyes to her. Alana let him pass. Unsure of what to do, she went inside, finding Lori.

The woman sat in the cellblock, alone with Maggie. Lori hadn't even tried to say anything to Carl. Didn't know what to say. He'd said he was going up into the guard tower to keep an eye out. Just in case.

At first Alana just stood there outside the cell, leaning against the bars, unsure of what to say. Of what would be right to say. Lori broke the silence, staring off at the wall. "Do you think…"

But there was no need for her to finish her question. Alana shook her head steadily. "No. No, this…was coming." Memories of the night Carol had slit her wrists came back to Alana.

"I just, I know we all suspected something like this. God, sometimes I even wished—" Lori lowered her head and scoffed. "You'd think after all of this," she said gesturing to the space around her, "that nothing could possibly shock us anymore. And then this happens. I don't understand. And then Carl—he, he's just a child."

"Not anymore," Maggie spoke quietly. "Not in this world now." She was thinking Beth. "Should have never been given this life. It's cruel. To take their childhood away. Adapt or die." Maggie hung her head.

All around the grounds these small moments were being made. One or another speaking up. Trying to make sense of the situation. Others didn't even bother.

The grave was dug, beside where the group had buried Beth. Carol was wrapped in a bed sheet and the dirt tossed down on her. None were sure of what to say or if anything should be said at all.

But bless him, Axel. He spoke. "Ain't no reason to offing yourself. If there was, you'd be able to talk someone outta of it."

It seemed to be enough for the group. Their way out. That evening all were in the cafeteria for dinner. Though they ate in an unsteady silence, small conversations were held here and there. Not a single topic concerning the events of the day. It was awkward, and some felt a foulness about it all, but they knew at the same time there was nothing else to be done. Axel had been right. No point in trying to make sense out of something that had none.

There was no advantage to dwelling on the dead. Time was for the living.

Be that as it may, Alana found herself cautious around Daryl once more after he had emerged from wherever he had been keeping himself. He'd made himself scarce after digging the grave and did not appear until the evening. When she had seen Carol, dead there on the ground, her thoughts had immediately gone to him. To how he would react. It was impossible to read him and get an inkling of what he was thinking. Though he sat with her at dinner that night, he said nothing. Lucas and Heath did what they could to chat with her. To keep her thoughts from his silence. Neither tried to speak with Daryl.

But he couldn't close himself off from her completely, he now shared a bed with her. As the group settled in for the night, Alana waited in the cell, already tucked away under the covers. Her back was to the entrance. Daryl's weight was felt as he lowered himself down onto the mattress. He moved the same, felt the same against her, but Alana knew better.

A caring person would have told him it wasn't his fault. Carol chose this, she did this to herself. It had been bound to happen.

A smart person would keep their mouth shut and let Daryl come around on his own.

And so that's what Alana did. She hadn't pushed him in to speaking with her that day or evening. She fell asleep that night with only his weight beside her as proof he was even there. She was not surprised to wake during the night to find him missing. He returned by morning.

That day rolled by with some ease. All were distracted with having to readjust their routines. With Carol now gone, there were many things left to be handled. Laundry and cooking had to be figured out. Carol had been a character, but she had had an order to things as well. Crazy as it may sound, she had pretty much been like a den mother to them all. Taking care of the small things, all of which eventually added up. The woman had even gone so far as to write out food menus for the month ahead. Every day. Morning, afternoon, and evening. She had made sure no food would be wasted; only what was needed would be used. And she accounted for whatever game Daryl and the others may have caught.

Daryl had made himself scarce that day, heading out into the woods with Heath the first shot he got. Alana knew when he returned he would continue to keep away. He'd appear for food—if he hadn't stuffed his pockets already—and slink back off again.

The somberness of the group was a relief to her. None even asked of Daryl. By then, they all knew to keep their distance from the man. Just let him be. Alana had been sure that Dale would corner her at some point during the day and tell her what he thought, though he'd say his opinion was just his opinion. But the old man never came around. When he passed her in the halls all he did was nod and carry on. It was the gesture of the day.

Maggie and T-Dog took care of meals for the day and as evening came the group gathered once more to eat. Rick spoke, not once mentioning Carol. He was intent on making some last runs.

"Wasn't an easy summer, winter won't be no different. We have more than enough to get by, but it won't hurt to have more." He spoke of plans to gather more firewood and clear out the houses near the country club. He wanted to set up traps for the walkers, in case there were days were going outside just wasn't plausible. And they needed ways to stay warm aside from starting fires.

"We can go through our supplies," Glenn had slowly responded. "Figure out what we could use some more of."

Lucas offered up collecting bed comforters to place on the floor in the cells. "Won't be much, but it'll keep us a bit warmer."

It was macabre in how the group spoke of these things; not acknowledging the freshly dug grave outside. Axel's words had stuck. There was no true reasoning to it, so there was no reason to dwell on it. Though it had only been a day, it was evident already that the group was moving on. First with Michonne's words, then Axel's, and now Rick's. They had lives to live.

But none would say that aloud.

A cold front had come in that afternoon. When Alana headed into her cell for the night she found Daryl there, adding another cover to the bed. It was a small shock when he was the first to speak.

"Rick wants the same group went out last time to head back to the country club." They knew the area best; only made sense to send them again. "After that, ya ain't going back out." Alana nodded.

As Daryl continued to mess about with the covers she took a step forward, lowering her voice. Others were still moving around outside. "Are we good?" she asked. A simplistic sentence with not so simplistic meaning. He'd spent the past twenty-four hours not saying a word to her and then now just picked up where he'd left off.

Shock came to her again when he stopped and straightened for a moment, shrugging out of his jacket and dropping it on the floor in the corner. It was a pleasant surprise.

"Why wouldn't we be?"

**So there we have it! All wondering what Daryl would do, had us freaking out and then he turns out to be fine. Yay! No more drama! Or is it? Cue all of you threatening to choke me if I try to tear them apart again haha. **

**Going to spend this week reading over the story, as well as the other two, and decide where things should head next. As mentioned above, I still need to decide whether to do a time passage in this story or not. It wouldn't be a huge one if I did. It's going to be about trying to find a balance between the calm and the storm. Don't want to drag you guys through filler chapters just to get to the good stuff, nor do I want to rush you guys through. **

**Now, QUESTION TIME!**

**For those that have read the comics and/or watched the show, are there things that are coming up you do or do not want to see happen in this story? Anything original you think would add to the story? In essence, where do YOU feel the story is heading or where you think it shouldn't head? **

**Apologies for the horrid delay and gratitude to all who come back to read.**


	72. Chapter 72

**So after much debate and talking to myself, I decided which direction to take this chapter in. Heh. Heh. That's me laughing as I envision your reactions. **

Winter came quickly and none were pleased with it. Runs had been made and extra supplies gathered. With no trouble from the walkers. Every cell's floor was covered in comforters; there were daily meals of soup and anything else hot. Heath and Lucas had shown the group what to do to keep warm. No sleeping in layers; you'd only sweat and become sick. Staying warm during the day was somewhat easier than during the nights. Unneeded pots were used for fires. It wasn't much, but enough to still feel your fingers and toes while up in the guard tower. And they were small enough there was no worry of drawing attention.

Relief during the beginning of winter came from the fact that walkers were few. "Wait till they're closer," Rick would say of any that did appear outside the prison. Sometimes it would take the things a full day, even two, just to reach the fence line. Many would slowly drop to the ground and rest there. There were times as well when the walkers would look right at them, but not do a damn thing.

As a month crept by, the group had encountered less than forty walkers. The smallest amount since the breakout. Things felt…almost normal again. The only giveaway, aside from living in a prison, that things were far from normal, was the silence surrounding them. No cars or planes. No music off a radio or cheers from a game on television. No electricity aside from that one morning when everyone felt the cold in their bones to a point it felt like they would shatter. Rick had chosen to turn the generators on, giving power to only the gym in C-Block. Everyone gathered in there while the heat pumped through the ventilation system for nearly thirty minutes.

Andrea and Alana sat up in the guard tower at midday, though the former thought there was little reason to be up there at all. Wasn't like they were expecting a herd to come through anytime soon. Not in this cold. But Andrea had taken to offering to sit up there nearly every single day. It hadn't taken Alana long to figure out why. May have sounded silly, but being up in that tower put them closer to the sun and that made them warmer.

Andrea chuckled as she looked over the grounds, seeing Glenn and Axel walking along the fence. "They're going stir-crazy," she said. Alana looked to the other side and nodded her head to two more figures; Heath and Lucas. The women laughed together.

The entire group was beginning to get that itch. Though they knew they shouldn't. Alana asked how long their winter would last.

"Give it…maybe three months and it'll be getting warmer again." As an afterthought, Andrea then asked Alana, "What do you think will happen to them?" She nodded off to the fields were a walker had been shot and left.

Alana shrugged. She had been the one to shoot the walker. Walked out to it with Rick. The thing looked cold, skin taut and frosted on parts. "Would be nice, if they turned to mush." But that would be pushing their luck. These things thrived on eating the living and the winter was putting a damper on that. "Come spring," Alana shook her head. "They'll be starving."

"That's comforting." Andrea sighed and scanned over the grounds, seeing that Glenn and Axel had gone back inside. She noticed someone standing outside C-Block. "Looks like someone needs you."

It was Rick.

With a groan, Alana stood from her chair, pulling up the hood of her jacket. "If you see anything, flap your arms," she told Andrea and the older woman chuckled.

Rick met her halfway from the guard tower.

"All quiet on every front," Alana said to him, taking a glance over the field.

"Good," Rick commented. "The boys are thinking of heading out, set some traps for game." He always referred to Heath and Lucas as the boys now.

"When?" Alana asked, taking a step past Rick. She wanted to either get back in the tower or into C-Block. Rick began following after her.

"Tomorrow maybe. Depends on how cold it's going to be." Rick reached out and held the door to the prison open. Alana stepped in as he looked back over his shoulder.

"Long as I don't have to go sit up in a tree, let them at it," Alana responded. She stopped shortly in the hallway when she could feel that Rick wasn't behind her. She turned to see him still standing outside, not having heard a word she said. She scrunched her brow and walked back to him. "What…"

The noise was faint, but in the silence around them it rang loud as a foghorn. Alana looked quickly towards the guard tower. Andrea had stepped out onto the balcony that wrapped around, binoculars in hand. She then pointed towards the eastern part of the prison. Rick and Alana squinted as they stared up to the sky.

Against the pale blue above them a black speck came into focus, growing larger and louder as it approached.

"Tell me I'm not seeing things," Rick spoke, his eyes never leaving the helicopter that made its way across the sky.

"It's not coming towards us," muttered Alana. "Military?"

Rick shook his head. "What does it matter?" As he saw that the helicopter was not coming towards them, he began running to the guard tower, yelling to Andrea to get their attention.

Alana ran after, eyes darting back up to the sky. "Rick! It's landing, look!"

He stopped at the door to the guard tower. The helicopter had begun to lower against the skyline. Perhaps there was a setup base nearby? But any hope Rick may have begun to grasp onto was gone when black smoke filtered out from the back of the helicopter. "It's crashing," he said in a low voice.

The two of them, along with Andrea up in the guar tower, watched as the helicopter unsteadily came down somewhere west from the prison. The soft echo of the impact could be heard as black smoke continued to waft upwards. Rick looked to Alana, his eyes looking reaffirmation that he wasn't the only one to just witness this.

"Maybe five miles out," Alana said in response.

"We need to go after it."

Alana snapped her head towards Rick. "What?"

"Could be survivors," Rick began to reason. "We need to know where they came from. We just saw a helicopter." He looked to the tower door as Andrea came down. He asked her what she'd seen through the binoculars. The helicopter had been grey, far as Andrea could tell. "How many people do you think have access to one of those? Let alone can fly it?" He could see the hesitancy in Alana. "If we don't find them first, they could find us."

Slowly, Alana nodded her head, biting at her lower lip. "Fine. Fine, there's enough daylight still left. Should be able to make it there and back."

"Good. Andrea, get back up and keep an eye out." Rick turned to Alana. "Get one of the cars ready." With that, Rick retreated to C-Block, leaving Alana and Andrea there to look out over the field in wonder.

"You think this is a good idea?" Andrea asked in a hushed voice. She was thinking the same as Alana; things had been quiet for the group and now this. A chance break from the eerie calm. Much as they didn't want to react, part of them wanted to.

Alana walked into C-Block, hearing raised voices coming from the cellblock. As she entered the open space she could see Rick battling against the others. Rick turned around to her, throwing an arm up in the air. "Tell them what you saw," he told her.

Alana looked over the faces of the others. She met Daryl's hard-set face and then looked away. "Helicopter. Possibly military."

"And it crashed?" Dale asked. Alana reluctantly confirmed. "We're not even sure if there could be survivors." He knew it was harsh, but risking the lives of their own on the small chance there could be survivors, didn't seem worth it to him.

Through a tense voice, Alana said, "It was a controlled crash. Whoever was piloting it, knew what they were doing. Smoke pillars are small. May be possible that they managed to land decently."

Rick said what he had told Alana and Andrea. Better they find the survivors—if there are any—than they finding the prison. "If we leave now, we can make it back before nightfall." He looked around to the group, seeing that many were still hesitant. He sighed.

"I'll go." Michonne stepped forward, arms crossed. "Getting tired being stuck up in there anyway.

It was a combination of cabin fever and fright that led Glenn to stepping forward as well.

"All right then," Rick said, "grab your gear. Daryl, you're in charge till we get back." Michonne and Glenn headed to their cells while Rick turned to Alana and nodded.

It was not unseen by Daryl. Rick pulled him aside. Daryl listened, his eyes glancing up to the second level. "Keep everyone inside till we get back." In a lower voice, Rick then added, "If we come back with survivors, watch Alana for the signal." Daryl nodded at once. Though there hadn't been need before, it'd been agreed that a signal was needed to warn if anyone they came across weren't friendlies. If Alana asked _Where's Theon?_ it was code to kill whoever was with them. What they had there at the prison was good. Outsiders couldn't be trusted if any ever showed. But at the same time they all wanted to know they weren't alone.

Daryl was quick to make his up to the cell he shared with Alana. Dropping the sheet behind him he caught her as she finished stuffing her gear into a backpack. Out of instinct, he rubbed at the back of his neck. The past month had been easier than he could have ever expected. Though he had initially remained calm after Carol's suicide, for Alana's sake, he then began to stew in a quiet panic that the others were watching him.

Anytime someone spoke to him, he'd stand there, just waiting for them to suddenly bring up Carol. Or Alana and him. Even when his worry over Carol was gone, he still became rigid at the thought that someone may try to talk to him about Alana. He waited for them to make a quip. To make a joke out of him and his queer relationship with Alana. If an outsider were to see them, they'd think they were siblings. He showed no affection if anyone from the group was in sight. He didn't stay at her side like Glenn and Maggie did.

He sat with her during meals. Took watches with her. Shared a bed with her.

Alana acted nearly the same towards him. If she rose from a seat and walked past him, she'd reach out to push against his shoulder. Following him up or down the stairs, she'd rest a hand on him for balance that was not needed. And he never tensed or flinched away from her touch.

She could see Daryl wanted to say something, knowing full well he wasn't happy with her heading out. They'd spent a month in calm and quiet and now this. This wasn't a good idea, Daryl just knew it. Only reason they were going out at all was because the group was too shocked that something had actually happened instead of the dreary routine of the past month. If they didn't come back before nightfall, that'd be what would wake them, make them realize this was a bad idea. Fuck whoever was in the helicopter. Let them freeze out there or become meals for the walkers.

"Rick's right," Alana started saying, slinging the pack over her shoulder. "If there are others, we need to know before they have a chance to find us." She took a step towards him. "We'll be back before nightfall."

Daryl nodded as Alana rested her hands at his neck. He allowed her to lean in against him before pulling away. He searched through his things, picking out a small hunting knife and leather blade cover. He handed it over to her, saying to hide it in her boot. Alana smirked and took the blade, doing just as he had said. She rose back up and Daryl grabbed at her nape, angling her face towards his. He pulled away from the kiss as he heard someone coming up the stairs. Alana made for the walkway with Daryl behind her.

Glenn grabbed an extra gun from his cell and came back down. Alana paused just long enough for Daryl to get in front her. She rested a hand against his side as they made their way down the stairs.

Outside, the others in the group were all watching the pillars of smoke rising up into the sky. Alana's car was set and ready to go. Someone called for the gates to be opened and very suddenly the four were in the car, driving out onto the road. Daryl had followed her to the car, closing the door once she was in and giving only the briefest of nods before turning away.

When the prison was out of sight, Alana stopped looking into the rearview mirror. She gripped the steering wheel and let out a muted sigh. The silence was broken when Glenn spoke, asking one thing after another. It was a relief to Alana. She'd have felt better not going after this helicopter at all, just like Daryl, but knew just as well it couldn't be ignored.

"You really think it was the army?" Glenn had asked.

"Could be," Alana supposed. "Not many people with access or knowledge to fly one of those."

"And Andrea said it looked like the army?"

Alana nodded. "Couldn't see any colors on it. No logos. Looked grey. Sounds like military to me."

Glenn, being hopeful, said that perhaps there was a base set up somewhere nearby. Maybe there were other survivors.

"Guess we'll find out soon enough," Michonne said from beside him in the backseat. "What's the plan, if they don't care to be our buddies?"

Alana opened her mouth, but Rick spoke first. "Kill them." He looked over his shoulder. "Then we put that smoke out. Don't need to attract any attention."

The four became quiet then as Alana continued on down the road. As she took a turn, Glenn leaned forward in his seat. Alana caught the movement in the mirror. "Just following the smoke," she said.

Following the road towards the smoke only took them so far though. Alana stopped the car and put it in park, looking out over the treeline. "Looks like we're walking from here." She said there was no point trying to drive the small crossover through the field. No need to risk getting stuck.

They stepped out from the car, looking at their surroundings. There wasn't a walker in sight. Alana looked up to the rising smoke. Should take them around ten minutes to reach the crash site.

"Let's get moving," Rick said. "Keep an eye out."

Alana led them into the woods, following the clearest path she could while remaining heading in the same direction.

"If anyone survived that crash, I hope they can walk," Glenn said. "It's going to suck if we have to carry them back to the car."

Michonne hushed him then and the group halted. She pointed to a tree just to their left. Rick nodded and the two of them broke off to head towards it. Slumped against on the other side was a half eaten walker. Before it could manage to raise its head fully up to Michonne, she drove her blade through its skull. She and Rick remained where they were, turning this way and that slowly, listening.

They rejoined Alana and Glenn and continued on.

"How did you learn to use that thing?" Glenn asked after a moment passed of silence. "Were you a ninja before all this happened?" he joked.

"Took fencing classes in college," Michonen answered in a quiet voice, eyes scanning the woods. "Neighbor's shit kid was a sword junkie. When this crap started, first place I went was next door, grabbed this thing. Was easier to get my hands on than a gun. Makes less noise too."

Rick chuckled. "I went and loaded up on guns and ammo at the police station."

"Guys," Alana interjected. "Up ahead."

The others followed her line of sight and could see smoke through the trees. They became quiet as they moved closer, listening for even the rustle of leaves.

The helicopter came into sight, resting in a creek bed. For a moment, Alana stopped them from moving closer. She looked over the area surrounding the helicopter. Searched the trees nearby. When she heard and saw nothing, she gave the signal for the quartet to move in.

They saw no one near or in the helicopter. Glenn took a step forward, but Michonne pulled him back. He looked to her with confusion until she pointed to the ground with her sword. Footprints littered the ground around the busted door to the helicopter.

"You think they got out?" Glenn asked. Alana came forward, her brow knitted. "Walkers maybe?"

Alana shook her head. "Prints are too clean to be walkers."

Glenn looked around, trying to see where the prints led. Alana followed suit as Rick and Michonne watched the area. Alana followed a grouping of prints away from the creek bed. It was clear enough what had happened.

"Someone else found them," she said. Rick came up behind her. "They came this way." She pointed to where the prints faded off into the woods.

"There's another group nearby then," said Glenn. There was a hope and worry in his tone. He began studying the different prints, trying to sort them out as he stepped around them. "I see maybe, three—no four different tracks. Maybe two more from the chopper." Glenn scratched his head. "I don't know, could have been a dozen. I can't tell. Should have had Daryl come with us," he muttered. "Guys?" He looked up to see their backs retreating. "Guys!" He sprinted to catch up. "Where are you going? Car's back the other way."

"We need to know where this other group came from," Rick said. "Need find out how close they are to us."

"Yeah, but shouldn't we save that for another day? You know, when we have more daylight! How are we even going to find them?"

"We know what direction they headed in," Alana said. "We follow this way and see if it leads to a road. It'll be a start. We can come back tomorrow and follow it then."

"Let's just move fast," Rick told them.

Alana continued to lead them through the woods, checking the ground in front of her as she did so. It was difficult to keep up with the tracks, but from what little she could tell, they were heading in the right direction.

The sound of a car door echoed and caught their attention. All at once they stopped and crouched towards the ground. Alana, along with Rick, crept forward, hiding behind the trunks of trees. Not too far off, a clearing could be seen. A road. There were two cars with men surrounding them. Alana counted four. It was difficult, but she could just make out figures inside one of the vehicles as well. They were too far away to make out anything that was being said, but just from the sight of the men, Alana knew they needed to turn back.

The men were dressed as normal civilians. One wore a rather large beer belly. Each carried a weapon. Guns, bats, crossbows. And, what stood out to Alana, they looked _happy._ There was only one kind of person that was capable of being happy in a world like this.

Rick motioned for them to begin backing off and Alana nodded. This would be dealt with another day. The two remained low as they made their way back to Michonne and Glenn. Looking over his shoulder, Rick turned back to them to tell them they were heading back.

Alana noticed it, but was too late in her realization. Glenn and Michonne stood much too still. The stiffness in their bodies was not from not wanting to be found by the other group.

They'd already been found.

Looking to the side, Alana saw two men standing there, guns raised and aimed. Alana held her gun in a death grip, searching over the trees for more men. There had to be more.

Rick began to speak, but was cut off as someone approached. The color drained from his face as he turned towards the newcomer.

"Looks like we caught ourselves some more live ones." The man came closer, laughing loudly and slapping his thigh as he took notice of Rick and Glenn. "Well fuck me, you still alive Officer Friendly?"

Alana could do nothing more than stare at where the man's right hand should have been.

A young Hispanic man stepped forward, gun aimed at Alana. "What do we do with them?"

Merle huffed, smirking. "Take 'em to the Governor."

**So….yeah. I totally just did that. We are now entering the Woodbury arc of the story. Next chapter will be split up between following Alana and crew and also those back at the prison. In case you haven't figured it out, they're totally not getting back to the prison before nightfall. **

**So tell me tell me tell me, what do you think will happen next? Let's see if anyone can figure out what I have planned for our survivors. **


	73. Chapter 73

**New chapter!**

**Was going to be much, much, much longer than it is, but came to a spot that just seemed too perfect to pass up. **

Daryl had remained out after the group drove off. He stayed up in the guard tower with Andrea, not saying a word. As twilight came the tension did as well. Andrea excused herself and headed to the cafeteria to join the others in their silence. As evening came, Maggie joined Daryl in the guard tower. He thought for sure she'd come up there to try and bond with him, since they both had someone out there. Maybe she'd tell him there was no reason to worry, Glenn and Alana can take care of themselves. They probably just stopped because it was getting late. Were holed up somewhere safe for the night. When she hadn't said anything Daryl risked looking over to her. He reckoned he had the same look on his face as she did.

Neither wanted to hear that everything would be all right. That there was nothing to worry about. And neither wanted anyone telling them that either.

Keeping her voice void of emotion, Maggie asked what Daryl planned to do if the group wasn't back by tomorrow afternoon.

Daryl had nothing to say in response. His first thought was to go looking for them. But by tomorrow the smoke would have cleared out and all they'd have to go on was a general idea of direction. And if they weren't at the crash site, there was no telling where they could be. Daryl could try and track them. But he knew that would only get him so far. The further out they headed, the further they seeped in danger. He didn't even bother with thinking about the cold.

"Pretty sure Rick will kills us if we send out another group," Maggie said, when Daryl gave her no answer to her question.

He agreed with her on that. Wasn't the wisest idea to send out another car with more people. Sending out just two wouldn't be enough either, in case something had happened or did happen. At the least three people would be needed. Could be himself, T-Dog, and Axel. But that only left, far as manpower went, Heath and Lucas. Dale, Hershel, and Carl could more than carry their own weight, but it wasn't enough to leave the others at ease. They needed to retain the majority of their strength in one place.

Maggie reached for the night vision goggles, switching them on as she looked out from the tower. She strained her eyes and stared off towards the horizon. "Smoke's cleared out nearly."

"Probably put it out," Daryl told her. Maggie nodded.

When morning came, the two were still up in the guard tower.

The group still hadn't come back.

In the cafeteria, the others were quiet. Some asked questions as to the whereabouts of the group. They all knew by then that the smoke had cleared out. Daryl quietly fumed as he listened to those around him speculate on what may have happened.

Perhaps there were survivors but they had to stop for the night. There may have been trouble. Another herd. The survivors.

It was Dale that spoke up, telling everyone to stop with their thinking. "Rick and Alana are more than capable. Whatever's happened, I'm sure they have it under control. If something had gone wrong, they have flare guns. Hell, they have _guns_. Would have fired off a shot to get our attention if something went wrong."

The group began to quiet. Daryl took his seat with Heath and Lucas. Dale, after looking everyone over, came and took the empty seat at their table. They sat away from the others. The three at the table could tell that Daryl was thinking things over, trying to figure out what to do.

Lucas leaned forward over the table as he ate his oatmeal. Kept his eyes down and spoke quietly. "I can head out around noon if they're still not back. Better to just send one person than another group."

Daryl stared at him suspiciously. "Ya remember where the chopper crashed?" he asked.

Lucas nodded. "I'll head towards it. If they're not there, then I'll turn round and come back. Figure out what to do next afterwards."

"Best we can do for now," Dale added.

"Better than sending another group out. Better than not doing anything," said Heath.

Daryl relented and agreed to the plan. He didn't announce it to everyone. At noon if the group wasn't back, he'd send Lucas out to look for them. If anyone asked what was going on, he'd tell them, but he wasn't about to play newscaster like Rick and let them all know. Less he told them, the less they had to worry about. The less he had to hear about it.

After breakfast, Daryl headed back outside to the guard tower and watched the horizon.

When noon came, Lucas headed out.

WDWDWDWD

The four had remained quiet, not even saying a word to each other. Merle had tried to get a rise out of them. Leaning back over the front passenger seat to stare at them. They had been put into the SUV, bunched up in the backseat. All their weapons had been taken from them. The Hispanic man, Martinez, had tried to balance all the weapons in his arms.

"You stupid, you dumbass?" Merle shot at him when he saw him stepping away. He huffed and came towards Alana. He stared down at her, sizing her up before he spit at the ground. With a grin he knelt before her, using his left hand to check the inside of her boot. He gave a loud whistle as he pulled out the knife Daryl had given her. "Shoulda let her stick your ass with it," he told Martinez. He pointed with the knife for one of the men to take Alana to the cars along with the others.

While the other weapons were tossed into the back of one of the cars, Alana saw that Merle had held onto the knife he'd taken from her.

But she focused little more on him. She looked out the window and set the road to memory. She looked to the signs alongside the road, reading the names of towns. Rick nudged her leg as they passed a last sign.

_Woodbury 13 miles._

"Mind telling us where you're taking us?" Rick asked.

It drew a lecherous smile from Merle. "Home sweet home." The driver beside him chuckled. "Ah, come on now, don't be looking so gloomy. Been a while since we've had guests." At this, he and the driver began to laugh.

It was not a comfort.

As they sat there in silence, Alana and the others knew where they were being taken. The Woodbury they'd seen on the last sign had to be the place. It was the closest town to them. Far away enough from the prison that they likely would have never crossed paths, if it hadn't been for the helicopter. But if no one from this town had found them yet, it must have meant none were aware of the prison. Alana tried to recall if she'd seen the town on one of the maps they'd gone over countless times during runs. But with the direction they were currently heading, she knew they'd never even come this way. Between the prison and Woodbury there was nothing. It explained why no one from the town had found them either.

When Alana had heard one of the men speak Merle's name she felt herself shut down. She could see Michonne do the same. Anything to keep the focus off of them and on Rick and Glenn instead. They were the ones with a past with Merle. Alana didn't fool herself for even one second in thinking she could use Daryl against Merle to ensure they safety, or to persuade Merle to let them go. And much as instinct may have told her to take control of the situation, she knew this was something Rick had to lead on.

Merle continued to harass them as they drove closer to Woodbury.

"Well aren't you just a pretty little thing?" he commented, looking Alana over. He turned his eyes to Michonne. "Ain't ever cared for a jungle gal, but can't be too picky nowadays, huh?" His gaze moved between the two women, then settled on Rick. "What you do to them. Ah well, I like 'em quiet." Merle chuckled.

He stopped speaking as the road they were on began to twist and the street became littered with strewn cars. Looking past Rick, Alana could see the rotting bodies of walkers. The caravan of cars slowed and she turned her head forward, seeing a looming wall of grisly steel blocking the entire expanse of the road.

It looked as if someone had dropped the ugly wall right into the middle of the small town. Welded beams were placed all along it, providing reinforcement. Spiraling barbwire ran along the top. From what Alana and the others could see, the wall ran left and right for the entire block. Atop it, spotlights were perched as well as people. Their guns trained on the vehicles.

The groan of metal as the wall cracked open before them was hallow. Glenn pressed against his door as they passed through. What laid behind this poor man's Hadrian's Wall was a stark opposite to the world outside.

No sign of abandonment. No sign of death. No walkers. No blood. No chaos. This part, this small part of Woodbury, had been left untouched. Solar panels could just be made out on the roofs and on patches of earth. As the other cars continued driving, theirs stopped at one of the first buildings.

Rick looked out the window, eyes squinting slightly at the light that shone down from the streetlamps. Merle stepped out from the car, pulling open the back door. He jerked his good hand at Rick to get out. From the other side, Glenn was being pulled from the car. As Rick stepped down, Merle stuck his boot out, causing him to trip and crash to the to the ground on his hands and knees. Merle barked out a laugh. Alana hurried out to help Rick back up.

"I'll take it from here, Merle," spoke a voice. "No way to treat our guests." The man had come out from the building they'd stopped in front of. It looked to have been the town hall. He was flanked by two other men, both carrying guns. He, himself, wore a handgun at his side. "I need you back on the wall, take care of the biters I'm sure you dragged back with you."

Merle puffed his chest out, spitting at the ground. "Sure thing, Governor." With a last look over the Alana and the others, he grabbed his things from the car and headed off down the sidewalk.

"Sorry about all that," the man said as he approached them, a smile that looked all too fake to Alana. He was a tall man, perhaps in his late thirties. He wore slacks and a button up shirt under a waist-length leather jacket. His face was kind enough, but the way the shadows created by the streetlamps fell over it gave Alana no comfort. Though his hair was short and a fair brown tint, instead of absorbing the light it drank it in and only gave back darkness. He looked like any other southern man, but within this town, with chaos all around outside, something was not right. "Can't be too careful nowadays," he said to them. "We've run into other survivors quite a few times and, well, they're not always the friendly type. I'm sure you all understand our need to take precaution." He stepped forward to Rick, extending a hand. "Welcome to Woodbury."

With a slowness, Rick took the offered hand. Alana took the moment to look around, as did Michonne and Glenn. They could see people peering out from behind curtains, the lights from inside pouring out. Others stood in doorways or walked slowly down the sidewalk, heads turned towards them. There were so many faces.

"Governor?" Rick asked.

The man smiled and laughed. "Just a title. More of a joke really. Suppose I stumbled my way into helping setting all this up," he answered, extending his arms. "Once one person called me that, just seemed to stick. Real name's Philip. But I'll warn you now, don't any of the people here even call me that. We're all in on the joke here." He looked over to Alana, catching her eye. He nodded and looked down the main street. "Amazing, isn't it? Let me give you all a tour." As he began to lead the way, the two men who had come out with him fell to the back; out of sight pressure. "So tell me, what's your story strangers?"

"Been traveling since things went upside down," Rick replied, his eyes constantly moving. "Saw that helicopter, got our hopes up, went looking for it. You seem to be holding up pretty good here."

The Governor nodded. "Four blocks. Working on the fences to seal off a fifth. Have about forty, fifty people here. Those early days, seemed like we just kept getting more and more. Then less. Then there were none showing up." He began thinking of the last time they'd come across other survivors. "Must be the first in a month. Turning out to be a hard winter this year."

"You seem to be doing well though," Alana said.

"That we are," the Governor replied. He turned and looked to her, a half grin on his face. "Where you from?"

Alana cursed herself inwardly. "Germany."

"Oh yeah? We got a guy from Austria. Well, born there, lived in Switzerland. Came here and the day he applied for citizenship, shit hit the fan. Didn't catch your name," the Governor said to her.

"Alana."

He then looked to others, waiting for their names. "Well Alana, Rick, Michonne, and Glenn, welcome to Woodbury. Down that street we have a little school set up for the children. Over there we have a cafeteria set up. Of course, we do what we can to ration out a bit of food, keep something in everyone's cupboards. Got a clinic set up over there towards the back. Even got ourselves a doctor and a nurse. Well, she ain't really a nurse, but damn if she isn't handy."

"Where—where are you taking us?" Glenn asked when he noticed that they were walking towards what must have been an empty field lit up by spotlights.

"Just a little show we like to put on for everyone," answered the Governor. "You guys showed up on the perfect night. There's a fight tonight."

They had reached the back of the town and there at the back was a small football field, it too enclosed in the metal wall. The stands were not filled completely, but it looked as if many of the townspeople were there. Alana could hear the Governor going on about the electricity—something about generators—but the sight before her on the field made it difficult to hear anything aside from the blood rushing between her ears.

Poles had been forced into the ground lining the field and chained to each one was a walker.

There was no chance to pause and stare; the two men that had been following them with guns in hand gave them only of the choice of following after the Governor. He led them up stairs. "This way, "I've got a private little room for us. Best seat in the house."

"So…you make them fight each other?" Glenn asked. Alana desperately wanted to tell Glenn to stop speaking.

"Well, not much in the way of entertainment these days. Isn't easy to keep people from getting restless. Having a fighter between biters? No, that's no good sort of entertainment."

The room had previously been the announcer's room. There was a long table along the front, with chairs and large panels of glass providing a full view of the field.

Her eyes were on the field, but Michonne asked, "What happened to the people in the helicopter? Any survivors?"

The Governor nodded. "The doc is looking over them now. Not too sure they'll make it though, we'll do what we can." He tilted his head up and his eyes lit up. "Fight's about to start."

The four looked to the field, eyes scanning the sidelines. Rick could not keep silent as he saw movement come from the entrance.

"You fight living people?"

"Makes for a much more entertaining night."

Two men had come out onto the field, but with blunt weapons in hand. Those in the stands cheered and shouted as if this was a regular occurrence. The two men wore football gear over their shoulders. One had hockey leg coverings as well.

"You put up those walls and then, you bring those walkers inside?" Rick asked in panicked astonishment.

"Well, at first we had a few accidents. Biters do like to bite." The Governor smiled broadly. "But once we started feeding them they turned pretty docile. Not really much of a threat now, long as you don't get too close to them."

Alana and Michonne turned towards the door as one of the men moved to close it. Michonne stepped sideways to place her back to Alana's.

"You're _feeding them_?" asked Glenn, his expression worried and pale. "What are you feeding them?"

"Well friends, we feed them friends."

Rick held his hands up in a clam manner. "We're not looking for any trouble. We can just leave, be back on our way."

"Afraid I can't do that Rick. I have obligations to these people. And they want to see a good fight."

"Is that what you did with the people in the helicopter?" Michonne asked then darkly.

"Right now those two are getting chopped up. One was passed out, other had a broken leg. Not much fighting they could do. They'll be the reward feast tonight. Well, them and if anyone strays too far. Rarely happens anymore, but you know, it happens from time to time."

The two men out on the field had begun to fight. Lunging after one another and taking hits. As one pushed forward, the other would push back, doing every thing they could to stay away from the walkers that reached out and snapped at them. One came tauntingly close to a walker and it managed to grab hold of his shoulder. The man broke its arm with his bat and shook loose. A collective groan could be heard from the crowd.

"They never would admit it, but when someone gets bit, they just love it so much. It's like watching a boxing match. Pretty damn barbaric, watching two men beat the hell out of each other, but pretty damn pleasurable too." The Governor sneered as one of the men knocked the other off his feet, raising his baseball bat above his head. He chuckled when the second man rolled away. "Now," he told them, turning back to look them over, "we are considerate here, so I'll give you all a choice. Y'all can either opt for a quick death, become part of the reward feast. Or, you can try your luck out there on the field. Course now, if you win, doesn't earn you a pardon from out little games. Just a sort of, reprieve. Till the next fight. So, friends, what it'll be?"

**Next chapter shall be the most difficult to write I believe. Lot of things planned for it and I'm not even entirely sure of how I'm going to get from Point A to Point B for it. I do know you will all have a love/hate feeling towards it because I know I already do. **

**And for those wondering, yes, Merle will be back next chapter too. And we'll take another quick peek over at what's going on at the prison. Next chapter, far as Alana and the others goes, will pick up right where this chapter ends. For Daryl and company, it'll pick up with Lucas. So what you'll be reading about the prison will be half a day ahead of what's going on over at Woodbury. I'll do my best to sort out the timing so you all won't be lost**

**For those that read the comics, obviously I didn't go with the comic-verse Governor. There's something much more terrifying about a bad person that has good looks because society guides us towards believing that someone who is considered beautiful or handsome doesn't commit heinous acts. Good looking equals safety. But we all know that is far, far from the truth. **

**Be sure to leave your reviews! **


	74. Chapter 74

**After round after round of editing, I'm going to change things up for the next few chapters. Because of the circumstances of the chapters, they're going to be shorter. I'll stop babbling now and let you all read. **

The Governor stood there, a sick smirk upon his face, as he waited for one of them to speak up. Alana looked towards the door, but knew there was no way to get past the two men guarding it. The room was too large, too much space for them to get away and get a clear shot on any of them. Instinct had led Alana and the others to stand together towards the center of the room, but it wasn't going to help them.

"Just let us be on our way," Rick had said, trying to reason with the man. Alana knew there was no reason to be found.

The Governor shook his head, chuckling. "Sorry there friend, can't be doing that. People get tired, being surrounded by these walls. Gotta give them something to let off the edge." He turned his gaze to Michonne. She scowled at him and the two men, fists clenched at her sides.

Alana panicked for her, knowing that Michonne was drawing too much attention to herself.

"Well," said the Governor, "if the men won't be gentlemen, I suppose we'll start with the women."

Soon as the words had left his mouth, the two men at the door were moving towards Michonne and Alana. Both tried to fight back as the men grabbed for them, throwing them against the wall and floor, wrenching their arms behind their backs. The movement was quick and the room filled with shouts. Rick's voices rose above the rest and then quickly fell.

One of the men had the heel of his boot digging in between her shoulder blades, but Alana managed to turn her head just enough to see. The Governor had Rick pinned against the table, a blade raised up. The others were screaming. Glenn was backing away from the Governor and Rick, hands held up and panic on his face.

And then the Governor was screaming. Somehow, Michonne had broken free from the man that held her against the wall. She spun out from his reaching arm and jumped at the Governor. Glenn pulled Rick away as a sickening _crunch _and _squish_ were heard.

Alana's eyes fell to the floor where Michonne had spit out part of the Governor's ear.

"Fucking bitch!" he roared, holding a hand to his ear. He pulled his gun out with his other hand. "Lock them all up!" he ordered.

Alana was yanked up from the floor and pushed outside the room with the others where they were surrounded by more men with more guns. The Governor followed behind Michonne, gun aimed at her back. He growled at the back of his throat and lashed out, slamming the butt of his gun to her head. The others were not allowed to stop and help her. She was pulled up and dragged, not given the chance to catch her feet. Alana fought back the bile in her mouth, wanting nothing more than to strike out. More men appeared and surrounded them.

They were led down unfamiliar streets. Backstreets it seemed. They saw none of the others that lived there in Woodbury, only the guards. At one point Rick turned back to see Michonne. She was still being dragged along. One of the men jerked her arm heavily and the sound of her shoulder dislocating echoed down the empty street.

It was too much for Rick it seemed, for he rushed the man. But it was not fast enough.

The Governor was cursing as one of the men hit Rick across the head with his shotgun, knocking him out. Blood began gathering around his head. "Get him up!" he said. "You two, take him to the infirmary. Have Doc take a look. Fucking idiot. And chain him to the bed!" he shouted lastly as Rick was dragged off down another street. Alana kept her eyes on him until she could no longer.

They were led into a storage building unit situated at one of the corners of Woodbury. The buildings surrounding it did not look to be inhabited by anyone, so the only eyes on the three were those belonging to guards. Alana began searching the streets, eyeing the barrier that enclosed them. Searching for a weak spot. There were abandoned cars or dumpsters placed at random spots for the guards to climb atop and walk the top of the wall.

Before she could save any of it to memory, the remaining three were ushered into the storage building. It was brightly lit. And empty. The hallway of units was narrow and Alana nor the others could stop from being forced down it. Two men stood at the front of them, stopping as they came to some of the larger units.

Alana was first to be placed in one. She faltered as the chain was pulled and the door raised. Quickly she was shoved inside and before she could find her feet again, the door was falling back down and she was shrouded in darkness. Alana stood uneasily, reaching out timidly, searching for a wall. The cement of the walls was cold against her hands. Finding a corner, she braced herself against it and listened.

"Put the boy there!" she could hear the Governor order. The rising and falling of the door and rattling of the chain filtered over to her. Then came the rattle and clinking of the door to the unit beside her. But the process was much slower and in the darkness Alana blinked harshly. She could hear the flipping of a switch, as if a light had been turned on. Hand placed against the wall, she moved towards the opposite end of the room, straining to hear. At the words, "String her up," Alana steeled herself.

The rattling grew louder and Michonne could be heard struggling against those that held her. Though the sounds were faint, Alana could hear the sound of fabric ripping. Her eyes darted through the darkness.

"Tie her legs up while your at it," the Governor added. "Wouldn't want her spoiling the fun too soon." The men complied. "Leave us to it then."

"Shouldn't you get that ear looked at, Gov?" one of the men asked.

He must have touched his ear, studying the blood that came back on his hand. But the Governor mustn't have cared all that much. "Leave us to it," he repeated. "I think, half an hour should do just fine."

The echo of footsteps as the men emptied the hall racked inside Alana's head. The door to Michonne's storage unit had been closed. A pair of footsteps stopped just at the end of the hall.

And then the sounds came.

Alana did all she could to close herself off from them. Pushing away from the wall, crouching in the opposite corner. She emptied her head, trying to not think or focus on any single thing. Her breathing slowed to a steady pace and though she could not see, kept her eyes straight ahead.

For nearly an hour she hid away in herself.

The door rattled as the Governor banged against it, shouting to the man waiting outside that he was finished. He joked about taking longer than usual. He jeered at Michonne, telling her to go right on ahead and cry. Get it all out of her system. She'd get used to it after a few more go's. "Send someone in later to clean her up. Shit, sun's already coming up?"

The Governor and other man conversed as they walked down the hall, their voices echoing until they could no longer be heard.

Alana remained crouched in the corner, her breathing calm.

She kept waiting for them to come back for her.

But they never did.

Her ankles and calves ached from having crouched for so long until finally they gave way and she slumped to the floor.

Muffling herself, she cried.

**So now obviously it can be seen why the chapters will be shorter; to match with how Alana is experiencing everything. We'll be seeing everything from her perspective, which will be limited. **

**I'll have the next chapter up later today. In it we'll be encountering Merle. **


	75. Chapter 75

**Here we go! Merle and Alana time! **

There was no way of knowing what time it was. The pitch black of the unit made it impossible and disoriented Alana. She thought it possible that it was already mid-morning, but she couldn't be sure.

Glenn was heard at one point, trying to speak to her and Michonne. But neither responded. Alana knew that Michonne was still chained up. The rattle of the chains falling was never heard. She'd heard crying earlier and bit her own tongue to keep quiet herself. It hadn't been the crying itself that ate at her. Alana could hear _anger_ in Michonne as she breathed heavily and cried. There was something frightening in hearing someone cry, but not hearing any weakness. Only anger. She feared what Michonne may do if one of the guards showed a moment of weakness, though she would not condemn any action.

From at the end of the hall, a voice or two could be heard from time to time. Guards. It was then that Glenn would stop speaking.

Not knowing how long they had been in the rooms, Alana suddenly heard footsteps coming their way. Someone banged harshly on the door to her unit as they passed by.

"Where's the Chinaman?" Merle could be heard asking before giving a laugh. "Open it up, see how long it takes him to start talking. Wakey wakey boy, ain't gonna sleep all day!"

Alana heard a chain and the _clink_ as one of Glenn's hands must have been chained.

"Your buddy Rick been asking about you. Told him you were doing just fine. Couple bruises, maybe some broken bones." Alana could hear the very smirk that must have been playing across Merle's face.

The scrapping of wood against the floor crawled into her ears. Merle gave a loud _huff_ as he sat down, likely staring down Glenn inside the unit. The door was never closed and so every sound carried louder to Alana's room.

"What happened to the rest of our good ol' Atlanta group, huh?"

There was no response from Glenn.

The four of them were not so stupid as to head out from the prison without a plan. There was always a plan. If ever a group came across others, there was never any mention of the prison. No mention of the others. They were all that were left. Everyone else was dead and they'd been on the road for the past three months. Always the same story, down to every detail. They even had the morbid tales of how the rest of the group had died.

But Glenn was saying nothing.

"Not in a talking mood, are ya? Well, I was hopin' you wouldn't be."

Alana stilled herself as she heard what she knew to be punches landing. Glenn grunted and shuffled across the floor, likely attempting to shield himself. The chain rattled louder and louder with each blow Merle landed with fist and boot.

"You gonna talk now, boy?"

Still, Glenn said nothing. Then again, that was all part of the plan as well. It'd only make sense that the women would be the ones to spill the information. It'd be expected of them.

The man that had come with Merle could heard laughing in the hall. "I think he's broken. He ain't gonna talk."

Merle must have stepped back from Glenn, spitting at the ground. "Hey girlie!" He shouted, boots echoing and coming quickly to Alana's unit. He banged on the door as Glenn's was harshly dropped back into place. A flip was switched and suddenly Alana was bombarded with light. She squinted as the door was raised. The gun at Merle's side was out and pointed at her as the other man chained one wrist to the wall before stepping back. Merle put the gun away, wiping his bloodied hand on his pants. He looked Alana up and down from where she stood in the corner like some trapped wild animal. "I got this one Freddy boy," he said to the other man whose lips curled into a cruel smile. He walked out from the hall, into the front lobby, and out the front door.

Merle walked away, back towards Glenn's unit, bringing the chair back with him. He sat down in front of Alana, crossing a leg. He sucked at his lip and tilted his head, as if he was thinking over what he would do. Alana never once looked away from him, keeping her face as blank as possible.

"Now where, did a little thing like you, get this?" he asked her then, pulling Daryl's hunting knife from his boot. He waved it in the air between them.

"It's mine," Alana answered, in an almost incredulous tone.

"See, now that there," Merle told her, scratching his head with the tip, "is a goddamn lie." He stood from the chair. He asked her the same questioned he had asked Glenn. When Alana did not answer, he drew closer. Raising the stump armed with a blade, he pressed it against Alana's throat. In his other hand he pressed the point of the hunting knife just under her right eye. Alana still did not answer his questions. He knicked deeply at her cheek and then the other.

And then just as planned, Alana feigned to cave in, the lies rolling off her tongue.

"And my brother?" Merle asked. "You take this off him, huh?" Merle kicked at Alana's right knee and she grunted, catching herself against the wall as she slid down. "Oh, I'm sorry, you already fucked up? Here, let me even it out for ya." Merle kicked at her other knee. She curled up on the floor as Merle stomped at her side and back. Alana did her best to bite back every grunt and cry.

"He went into the woods, hunting. Never came back. So we left," Alana managed to get out.

Merle crouched and pulled her head up by her hair. He smirked at her.

The front door to the building opened and Merle huffed. He stood and raised his boot, kicking Alana again and again. He asked between kicks where the others were, that he knew they were holed up somewhere.

"Hey, hey!" Martinez shouted. Merle turned back to see the man standing there in the hallway, brow creased and eyes narrow. A second guard was with him. "What the fuck you doing?"

Merle looked mockingly shocked, pointing down at Alana who had not risen from the floor, clutching her side and breathing heavily. "Oh, this? Just having a little talk is all."

Martinez stepped forward, sighing as he looked Alana over. "Fucking Christ, man. Governor said I could have a go. Wants to know if they have a group." The man cursed as he saw the blood running down Alana's face and the way she held herself as she attempted to push up into a sitting position.

Merle shrugged with a smile. "Sorry there buddy, looks like I got to her first."

Martinez was quiet for a moment, looking between Merle and Alana. He then turned to Glenn's unit. "And the other?"

"They saying the same shit as the other. Ain't got no group. Rest of those cunts are dead." Merle pointed over to the other guard, motioning for him to grab the door's chain. He looked to Martinez then. "Guess you better have Alice come take a look at them. Look pretty fucked up, huh?" Merle laughed.

The door came down with a crash and Martinez left the hall, looking over his shoulder to Merle with distaste.

"Have fun babysitting," Merle told the guard, banging one last time on Alana's door before flipping the switch and leaving.

Alana sat in the darkness once more, trying to even her breathing, but the pain wouldn't allow it. Not long afterwards, she resigned to laying on her side and closing her eyes.

**Is it wrong that I really, really, enjoyed writing this chapter? I can't help it, Merle is fun to write! Would love to hear your thoughts on Merle and theories. **

**Next chapter we'll meet Alice and also see what Lucas has been up to since the two events take place at the same time. **


	76. Chapter 76

**Already done with the next chapter! So let's get on with it and meet Alice. **

She faintly heard the soft footfalls of someone being escorted through the building, down the hall. They passed by her storage unit, stopping at Glenn's. A man's voice told the newcomer to start with him. The chain was pulled and the door was raised.

There was the sound of a backpack hitting the ground. "Does anything feel broken?" a woman's voice asked. Alana could barely hear Glenn respond. "My name's Alice," the woman said. "I work with the doctor, Stevens."

Alana tried to roll onto her back and groaned at the pain. She stopped listening to Alice speak then, keeping her eyes closed.

Eventually the woman must have finished with Glenn, for the door was closed and next Michonne's was raised.

Alice must have hesitated.

"Can you give us some privacy?" she was asking the guard that stood with her. He didn't move. Alice scoffed quietly and must have nodded to the chains that kept Michonne in place. "She isn't going anywhere, is she?" she asked hotly. It was then that the man's steps echoed away down the hall to the front lobby where he likely took a seat somewhere.

Though the woman was now closer, Alana paid her no attention. She still attempted to move, if just to the left or right. She could feel the bruises across her sides and back and front, stretching in agony as she tried to change positions. Her face felt taut from where the blood had dried over her cheeks.

"Here," she vaguely heard Alice saying, "take this." Michonne never once said a word to the woman. She must have shook her head at one point though. "It'll help, with the pain." Alice sighed.

When the woman reached her room, Alana became alert, though her face did not show it. She remained on the floor, on her side.

Alice had left Michonne's door opened and moved to Alana's on her own. The man must have come down the hall, but Alice stopped him, saying that she had it handled on her own. He retreated.

She was close to Alana's age, though, if possible tinier that her. Much skinner, with thin, long black hair. Her face was fairly riddled with freckles with average cheekbones that puffed out slightly. She looked down at Alana with pale hazel eyes.

Alice knelt, dropping the backpack at her side. "My name's Alice," she told her. Carefully, she reached a hand out, hovering over Alana's side. "Does anything feel broken?"

Alana did what she could to shake her head.

Alice lowered herself further to the ground, sitting with her legs crossed. "I'm just going to check everything over, yeah?" When Alana said nothing in reply, Alice began examining her.

Alana watched the woman's face. The furrow of her brow never left. She'd reach into her pack, grabbing gauze or ointment. She didn't make a single movement without first telling Alana what she was doing.

"Can you sit up?" she asked?

With much effort and strain, Alana managed a sitting position, leaning against the wall, with Alice's help. The woman rolled her pant legs up, looking over her knees. She then checked her sides, pressing against her ribs. Alana hissed.

"Sorry," Alice said quickly. "And…sorry, I'll have to check again." Alana tensed. "I don't think it's broken. Probably just fractured." Alice leaned away, digging through her pack. "Here," she said, opening a bottle. "It isn't much, but it's something." Alana took the painkillers from Alice and accepted a bottle of water. She gingerly tilted her head back as she swallowed. Looking back down, she saw that Alice was holding another pill out to her. In a hushed voice, Alice said, "It's that pill, morning after one."

Alana shook her head and finally spoke.

"I wasn't…"

Alice's eyes grew big and then she nodded, stuffing the pill away. She tried to smile but failed. "I should check those cuts," she told Alana, pointing to her own cheeks.

She grabbed gauze and wet them, proceeding to wipe softly at Alana's face. Alice became unsteady with how she stared at her the entire time with those cold eyes. She hung her head as she looked through the backpack.

"I'm sorry for what they did," she said quietly, very quietly. "Wasn't always like this."

"Your condolences don't matter much," Alana retorted, rattling the chain that wrapped round her wrist. Alice had nothing to say in response.

As she finished up, she looked over her shoulder, making sure the guard wasn't there. "The other man you were with, Rick, he's okay," she whispered. "Doctor Stevens has been keeping him in the infirmary, saying he has to keep a eye on him. Has a bump on his head, but it isn't anything. He's just…"

The woman was trying to provide some sort of comfort. Alana knew there would be none. "We're all going to die, aren't we?" she asked in a voice of void. It sent shivers through Alice.

And Alice did not answer. She packed away her things and rose, head down, eyes from Alana.

WDWDWDWD

Being on his own, Lucas moved slower. He drove far as he could, following the road. It was eerie, coming across the others' car, abandoned.

He stopped the moment he'd seen it, idling in the car. Taking a look around, he turned off his car and grabbed his gear. He looked around the car, finding nothing amiss. Walking along the road, he spotted tracks from where they'd headed off into the woods.

Huffing out a cloud of breath, he zipped up his jacket and slowly began making his way through the woods. His eyes rotated from the ground to the area around him, his ears wide open for any noise. He checked the compass on his watch. As the area before him began to open up, Lucas stopped and crouched. He studied the area for movement, but saw none. Gun at the ready, he continued on until he reached the helicopter.

He frowned at the sight of the crashed heap of metal. He approached it, wary of the tracks covering the ground. Lucas shook his head.

Licking his lips, he moved away from the crash site, surveying the ground. There were no tracks leading back to the woods in the direction he'd just come.

But there were other tracks, appearing twice from the other side. With a last look over his shoulder, Lucas followed them into the woods.

When the tracks ended, he found himself staring down another road. He looked up and down it, seeing nothing. He shook his head, frowning again, rubbing at his face. Crouching, Lucas pulled out a map from his pack, opening it up. He tracked the road he'd driven down and tried to locate the one he now stood on. Either way the road led to areas they hadn't been to yet.

"Damnit," he swore under his breath, stashing the map away.

Lucas walked the road, from side to side, and then stopped.

He crouched.

Could have been nothing, but he could see the stains of oil on the road. Wasn't much, but from the drop pattern he could see that whatever had been parked there had headed north.

Lucas stood quickly and puffed his chest out. He shook his head, pulled the map back out once again, looking to where he could jump from his current road to this one. He laughed sardonically.

"You're a fucking idiot Lucas. Brilliant plan. Follow the road," he began muttering to himself. "Follow the fucking road. What horrible things could possibly happen to you?" He headed back into the woods. "Well you could die, but hey, that isn't so bad."

Reaching the car, he got back in, starting the engine. He looked once more over the map and then laid it out on the seat beside him, continuing to shake his head and smile with irony.

"Stupidest idea. Ever." He drove round the abandoned car of Alana's. "Don't come back, Daryl's gonna kill me. Come back, still gonna kill me. Brillant."

**So, thoughts on Alice? Not exactly easy to be a "good guy" when you do nothing about the "bad guys." **

**And Lucas. Sweet, sweet Lucas, talking to himself and wandering off on his own. **

**Next chapter we'll see how Daryl is doing back at the prison, seeing as how Lucas has decided to go further off on his own and not go back to the prison just yet. And we'll also see some more of Merle next chapter as well. **

**I have big plans in place for the next chapter, so prepare yourselves. **


	77. Chapter 77

**Are you prepared? **

It was evening and Lucas was still not back at the prison.

Daryl hadn't once left the guard tower since Lucas had driven off. With each passing hour his frustration grew and could not keep his knee from bouncing up and down from where he sat alone. Andrea had tried sitting up there with him, but Daryl made it silently obvious he didn't want anyone around him. He ignored Dale when he came to tell him that supper was ready and refused the plate that was later offered to him by Maggie. The group let him be. Into the night, T-Dog came and set up a chair just within C-Block. Everyone had figured that Daryl wouldn't even bother with sleeping—and they were right—but still, it was best to have another on watch. Just in case.

In the early hours of the morning, Daryl spotted T-Dog heading over to the tower. He squared his shoulders and waited for him to make the climb up the stairs.

T-Dog came in wearily, hands shoved in the pockets of his jacket. "Lori wants to speak to you." He nodded his head back towards C-Block. "Said she ain't going to climb all these stairs, so you best come down yourself." Daryl gave no reply or even turned to him. "She said she'll stand out there long as it takes." Still, no reply.

Finally, Daryl slammed his fist on the desk and pushed away, standing. He pushed past T-Dog who slowly moved to take the now empty chair.

Just as she had promised, Lori was standing outside of C-Block, fully dressed and wrapped in a thick blanket. She didn't move until Daryl was upon her. Setting the blanket down inside, Lori picked up a battery-operated lantern and began walking down the hall.

The two remained quiet as they passed through the cellblock, making their way towards the library. It seemed to be the common place that everyone went to when they needed to talk privately. A sort of meeting room.

Lori set the lantern down on a table and turned it on. She pulled a chair out to sit down and looked to Daryl. He remained with his back to the doors they'd just entered through. Lori sighed, knowing he wouldn't sit; he'd keep every defense up possible.

"We need to plan…what we're going to do," she began carefully, watching Daryl every second. He looked to as her as if she'd just slapped him. "They know what they were doing when they went out there. Alana always made sure of that. Always." Lori rubbed her palms over her jeans. She needed to make sure she and Daryl were on the same page, as grim as that page may be. "She knew something like this could happen. She made us…trash the inside of the cars. Always made sure that those heading out were wearing worn clothes." Lori saw Daryl's brow unfurrow just the slightest. "Had all of you memorize the exact same story. Now think, Daryl, think. Why could they possibly not be back yet?" He looked up to her, and Lori answered herself. "If it wasn't walkers, it was other survivors. And if it was you out there, what's the one thing you wouldn't do?"

Quietly, Daryl answered, "Bring them back here."

Lori nodded. "Alana wouldn't risk it. Rick wouldn't risk it. And if they're not back yet, that means there's too many of them. So, we have to wait for Lucas to get back."

"If his ass isn't dead or caught," Daryl spat.

Lori raised a hand tentatively. "He's doing the same thing you would have done. He's tracking them. You know he is."

"If he ain't dead or caught," repeated Daryl.

Lori rose from the chair and approached him. She felt her insides crawl and whither as she spoke. "Whether they're dead or alive, we _can't_ react."

Daryl felt a vile taste rise in his throat at her words.

"Until we know for certain what's happened, we can't…feel anything. Can't show anything. They're watching us. You, me, Maggie. They're doing nothing but pitying us and we can't let them. This group cannot become weak." She lowered her head to catch Daryl's eyes. He looked up to her and she raised her brow. "Okay?" With stiffness he nodded to her. "Lucas is smart. After you, he's the next best tracker." She patted at his shoulders like a mother would to a son. "He'll probably be back by the afternoon. Till then, we don't say anything."

Lori sighed, shoulders lowering. She turned and grabbed for the lantern.

"And if he doesn't come back?" Daryl asked.

Lori hesitated, resting her hand atop the lantern. She lowered her head, back to Daryl. Her other hand covered her mouth for a moment as she took a deep breath. She picked up the lantern and turned to face him.

Her eyes glistened slightly. "We deal with it."

She ended the talk with the lowering of her head. Daryl stepped aside as she moved past and out into the hallway. He followed closely behind, parting with her as she went back to the cellblock and he continued on down the hallway.

He stopped just before reaching the doors that led outside. T-Dog was still up in the guard tower. Daryl lowered himself down into the chair he'd left there. He slouched and then doubled over, rubbing harshly at his eyes.

WDWDWDWD

The pain that racked her head had begun early on in the morning and now, into the night, it had grown. Alana could feel her stomach churn as her hunger mounted. Breathing came only slightly easier to her now, the painkillers Alice had given her having taken affect and remaining. Her knee throbbed with sharp pain. With each inhale she swore she could feel every vertebra in her spine cracking.

The slamming of the front door tore through her head and loud voices echoed down the hall. Alana did the best that she could to rise and sit up, pulling her weight up with the chain on her wrist.

Someone was running the butt of their gun against the storage units. "What's behind door number…two?" they shouted over the others who laughed and cackled like drunk dogs.

For a moment, Alana stopped breathing. It was only when the sound of a clanking chain came, but the harshness of light, that she found herself able to breathe again.

"Deep from the heart of Niggerville," the same man said with a chuckle. "Unchain her boys. Time to see how much fight this bitch has in her."

The chains clanged against the floor and Alana kept deathly still, listening.

They were taking her to the fights. One of the men warned Michonne to not try anything; that there'd be no simple bullet to the head. Apparently the Governor had plans for her. As she was escorted down the hall, one of the last men to pass beat rapidly on the door to Alana's unit.

"You're next little bitch! Just wait your turn!"

When the noise had gone, Alana slowly straightened her back flatly against the wall. Steadying her breath, she prepared herself.

And yet within an hour later, there was a great commotion outside. It was not a celebratory one. There were shouts, all directed towards Michonne. The loudest of all belonging to the Governor. From what Alana could gather, the fight had not gone as intended. Obviously, Michonne was still alive. But a few of the walkers chained round the field were not so lucky. And the men she'd been set against were not fairing all that well.

"Chain her back up!" the Governor barked at his men. He stood there as the men beat her to catcher her off guard, then chained her back up, her arms stretched up above her. The Governor ordered them to chain her legs once again. "Spread them wide," he said. A few of the men snickered. "Now I had been thinking of taking it easy on you. Even considering excusing you for that little love bite you gave me. But after that stunt you pulled tonight?"

Alana could hear him unbuckling his belt and the sound of clothes hitting the floor.

"Let's see how much fight you have left in you."

The men with the Governor retreated, the front door shutting with a hollow echo. Alana stared off into the darkness of her room, the corners of her mouth curled downwards. She let in every sound. Every curse, grunt, punch, and slap. The Governor egged Michonne on, mocking her. When she tried to fight back, restrained as she was, he treated her to a harsher beating. "Don't you pass out on me this time," he said between grunts. "Come on, you can take this, can't you? You did…last…time. That's it! Keep fighting it. Where's the fun if you don't. Fight. Back?"

The ordeal did not last as long as before. The Governor was panting as Alana could hear him backing out from the storage unit and making his way down the hall. He came back with what sounded to be two other men. One of them asked him a question.

"Still gotta fill that other spot Gov. What about this one?"

Alana raised her head, knowing she was the _one_.

But as the seconds went by without an answer, a twisted panic began to rise within Alana until threatened to choke her.

The chain was pulled and the door to her unit rose up; the switch was flipped and light flooded the room. Alana stared into the grinning face of the Governor. He gave a low whistle.

"Won't be much of a fight," he muttered, noting the way she held herself. "Goddamn Merle. Tell Freddy to cover the spot. Damn shame."

"What about her?" the second man asked.

The Governor paused.

"Chain her up."

The moment the men began approaching her, Alana lashed out, kicking with what strength she had, ignoring the pain that coursed through her. The Governor was laughing as he watched, pulling a handkerchief from a pocket and wiping the sweat from his forehead. He jeered the men who fought to get a grip on her.

_Not this. Anything but this._ Alana despised herself in that moment. She had allowed herself to think that perhaps, just maybe, she was safe. She'd kept quiet. Perhaps Michonne would be the one to take the pain. How foolish of her. She didn't deserve this, she had thought. She'd done nothing to warrant it. One of the men yanked at the chain that held her wrist. Neither of them deserved this. Alana shouted and cursed at the men.

The man yanked again, harder. Alana lost her balance. Overwhelming pain collided with the side of her head. Darkness took her.

"For fuck's sake!" exclaimed the Governor, stepping forward as the two men slowly backed away. One pushed at her with his boot. Alana's head rolled to the side, eyes closed softly, looking as if she sleeping. Her right arm was pinned under her body that lay crumpled on the floor.

"Sorry Governor," one of the men said. "Bitch was crazy, you saw her."

The Governor stood with his hands at his hips, legs set apart as he looked down to Alana. Wondering what to do with her now.

The second man offered a quiet thought. The smirk evident in his voice. "Seems a damn shame to waste her, Gov."

After a time, the Governor chuckled. "Suppose I have another round in me. Leave me to it boys."

Alana awoke to a lit room. Her mind went from a blankness to unhinged. A pain stirred in her stomach and spread and coldness swept over her. Her skin felt raw. Her entire body felt raw. Her insides were raw. Alana gripped to the chain tightly, her body shuddering as she began to dry heave. It gave way to gagging and coughing, and finally to sobs laced with hatred and fear. She curled into herself, hands shaky as she reached to pull her torn underwear and now buttonless jeans up. She grimaced and closed her eyes at the wetness she felt.

The ultimate weakness was the one forced upon you and Alana now knew how it felt.

Her skin burned and itched and threatened to crack from a growing coldness. She gasped with heavy breaths, her throat raspy.

A guard banged violently on the door. "Quiet down in there!" he shouted.

Alana began rattling the chain that held her. Her cries grew louder. She huffed and growled and let out the anger that boiled within her. She felt weak and little. But she also felt cruel vengeance clawing its way up through her. A denial of her weakness. She would not be weak. Could not be weak.

The guard on duty became frustrated, shouldering his gun and opening the storage unit. "Chill the fuck out," he told her as he tried to approach.

Alana could feel her skin tearing further, but she raised one leg and kicked as hard as she could, knocking the man down. He scrambled to get back up and reach his gun that'd been knocked from his shoulder into the hallway. Alana kicked and clawed at him, not letting him move. The man started shouting as he fought back.

Hurried steps could be heard coming. "Fucking idiot!" someone yelled. Alana suddenly felt herself being hauled backwards. She caught sight of Merle just before he knocked the side of her head. She blacked out once more and slumped to the ground. The man untangled himself from her and scurried to stand up. "Shoulda let her bash you fuckin' head in," Merle told him. "Radio the doc, tell him we bringing this dumb bitch by." The man asked why they would be doing that. Merle jabbed a finger down towards her. "We keep bashing her fucking head in, gonna turn into a damn retard."

The man grabbed his radio as he was told while Merle unchained Alana and hefted her over his shoulder.

"Alana? Alana!" Glenn started from down the hall. "Alana!"

"Shut it ya fucking chinc!" Merle hollered as he left the hall.

He muttered about having to carry her deadweight through the streets. The Governor had caught wind of what had happened and was waiting outside the infirmary when Merle arrived. He looked her over and could see the large bump forming on her head. He _tsked_ and spit at the ground.

"Get her inside."

"Sure thing, Gov."

Doctor Stevens and Alice were there waiting inside a room filled with cots and screen dividers. Behind one was Rick, chained to the bedframe.

"What happened?" Stevens asked. He was an older man, with pale blonde hair with a receding hairline and wire rimmed glasses.

"Girl freaks out like a damn monkey," Merle told him.

"And this?" he asked, seeing the bump on her head. Merle smirked like he was proud of himself. Stevens sighed and asked Alice to get him a few things. He then turned to the Governor and Merle. "We can take it from here."

The Governor shook his head, pulling handcuffs from a pocket and tossing them to Doctor Stevens. "You make sure she stays put. We'll need her ready for the fights tomorrow night." He smiled.

"Michonne? Alana?" Rick called from across the room. "What did you do to them?" he vented to the Governor, reaching out as far as he could and knocking the divider down. His eyes went wide and then became small beads of dark vehemence. "What did you do to her?" He asked.

"Don't worry," the Governor answered, "she won't remember a thing." He slapped Merle on the back as he walked away, laughing. Rick toppled himself from the cot, knocking a tray medical supplies over. "Calm the fuck down buddy!" He walked over to Rick, drawing his gun and shoving it against the side of his head as he crouched next to him. "I said, calm the fuck down." He stood up, gun still aimed, and spoke into his walkie talkie. Two men came in shortly and the Governor ordered them to take Rick to the storage building. "Wouldn't want you trying to be a hero or anything, would we?" he asked with a deep chuckle.

The two men uncuffed Rick from the bed, then cuffed his hands behind his back, pulling him up from the floor and shoving him towards the door. The Governor walked behind along with Merle. The latter spoke.

"Don't you worry a thing Officer Rick, I'll take real good care of her for ya."

The Governor left the room, following after Rick and the others. Merle halted by the door, turning round to look over to where Alana lay on one of the beds. Alice looked up to him, staring coldly.

Merle bugged his eyes out. "Well, what you waiting for? Clean her up."

The first thing that Alana noticed when she woke in the early hours of the morning, before the sun had even begun to rise, was the space around her. She knew quickly that she was not in the storage unit anymore. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. The room smelt overly clean.

"Alana?" a voice softly called to her. Alice rolled closer in her chair towards Alana. She'd been reading a book while keeping watch over her. Doctor Stevens had headed off for the night to get some sleep. Alice placed the book down on another cot. "How does your head feel?"

On instinct, Alana reached up to feel the bulge at the side of her head. She winced at the pain slightly, but then felt nothing. She was vacant of emotion. Dead inside.

Alice rubbed at her nose and sniffled. "Here, let me help you up. There's some medication you need to take." Alana rose and sat with lax shoulders and a gaze that focused on nothing. Alice rolled away and returned with three pills in her hand that she then dropped into Alana's. She handed her a cup of water and watched as Alana swallowed the medications.

It was hard not to look at Alana's lap; the dark stain of blood that had soaked through the front and back. Alana herself did not look, but she could feel it just the same.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so sorry," Alice then blurted out, head down and hands strained. She rose so quickly then that she lost her balance for a moment. Rummaging through the cabinets of medications, she came back to the bed that Alana was handcuffed to. Her hands were shaky as she tried to undo the lid atop a small bottle. The lid fell to the floor and rolled away. "Here," she said, holding the bottle out to Alana. "You'll get tired and fall asleep and then just…" Alana's face held no emotion. "Please, they won't stop."

Alice jumped and dropped the bottle as the door to the room opened suddenly. The pills bounced across the floor and rolled away. Merle stood in the doorway, a brow raised at the scene.

"Get up," he told Alana as he started walking closer.

"Where are you taking her?" Alice asked, standing in front of the bed.

"Girly's awake, going back to her little room of solitude. Governor's orders." He kicked a leg of the bed. "Now come on."

Alice was flustered. "She should at least stay till morning for observation. Her head—"

Merle stepped forward, his frame overshadowing Alice. "Ya wanna run that by me again?"

Alice's mouth a thin line, she turned and uncuffed Alana from the bed, gingerly helping her to fully sit and then stand. She placed one of Alana's arms over her shoulders and held onto it. Her other arm she wrapped loosely around her waist and began walking slowly.

They were not far from the makeshift doctor's office when Merle, who walked behind them with his gun ready, began complaining under his breath. "Think ya can walk any faster up there? Don't think I'm carrying your ass back."

Alice shook her head, keeping the words she wanted to say to herself. She did, though, shoot a nasty look back to Merle when he spoke again.

"Where the hell ya think you're going?" He had taken a few steps down a side street whereas Alice was leading Alana still straight on the original street. Merle jerked his head to the side.

Alana stared at him blankly and Alice was at a loss for words. Merle cursed.

"Hurry your asses up 'for someone sees you." But Alice didn't begin to move yet. Merle puffed his chest out and stepped back to them, his glare hard upon Alana. "You gonna have to move faster than this, ya hear?" He stepped behind them, gun aimed at Alana. "Now keep moving."

"Where the hell are we going?" Alice hissed.

Merle kept close and quiet, his eyes watching the streets. "Looks like your little friends went on and left without ya." Alice tried to stop walking to turn to Merle, but he kept them moving. He shook his head and swore over Martinez. "Goddamn spic fucking shit up."

They came down a darkened alleyway and Alice began to panic even more. She stopped and shook her head. "There's guards, how are you going to get past them? How do you expect her to even climb over that thing?"

"Keep your voice down, Christ," Merle told her. He moved ahead and inched towards the corner of the building. He then jerked his head and Alice followed after him with Alana. She stared confusingly at the wall barrier. There was no one there.

Merle moved over to the dumpster that was used to climb up onto the wall. He opened the lid carefully and pulled out two backpacks, slinging one over his back and telling Alice to put the other on.

"Get up there," he said to Alice, motioning to the dumpster.

"What—why are you doing this?" she asked, not moving an inch.

"All part of the plan sugartits. Now you gonna get up there and fuckin' help or you gonna stay here?"

Alice was dumbfounded. She turned her face to Alana.

Alana scanned over the alleyway and then looked to Merle. The corner of his mouth turned downwards and Alana saw something flash through eyes.

She nodded and took a step forward.

Not knowing what else to do, but knowing remaining behind was the last thing she wanted, Alice moved alongside her.

Alana rested against the dumpster as Alice climbed atop it. Merle moved quickly to hoist Alana up onto the dumpster, Alice holding onto her arms. He then joined them, helping once more to get Alana up onto the barrier wall. Not knowing how much time they had, Merle didn't bother with cutting or covering the barbwire. He looked over to the other side, not seeing any walkers in the street. With his one good hand, he held onto the ledge as he lowered himself down and then dropped the rest of the way.

"Suck it up and drop," he hissed up to Alana and Alice.

Alana lowered herself on the barrier, hands gripping the edge and eyes stinging with tears at the pain. When she felt Merle's hand against her foot she let go. He caught her at the waist and then let her drop to the ground, trying to keep her breathing even and calm. She punched the pavement to get through the pain.

Once Alice was down with them on the other side, Merle pulled a cleaver out from his backpack and handed it to her. He then took out a handgun, holding it under his arm as he twisted a silencer on it.

Merle held the gun out to Alana who began reaching for it. He pulled it back. "My baby brother still alive?" he asked.

Alana nodded. "Yes."

Merle looked Alana up and down as he had before, as if he was appraising her. He smirked. "Well then, let's go say hello."

**Bam!**

**I don't have anything else to mention aside from that, so…yeah. Leave your reviews! Let's see what you all thought about the events of this chapter (: **


	78. Chapter 78

**Dear life, it'd be great if you could give me a break so I can keep writing this story!**

**Just a quick little rant. **

**Once again, here's hoping I'll be able to get back to a regular writing and posting schedule. I do have the rest of this story planned out for a fair amount of time, all just a matter of being able to write it all out. **

**Thanks to all the readers still hanging in there.**

**Thanks to the new readers that came across the story, thanks for your uber long reviews, loved reading those. I normally read over them repeatedly while writing. **

The throbbing and cracking of her body echoed through Alana; it took every bit of remaining strength to concentrate just enough on her surroundings. Once they were over the wall, they still had the maze of streets to get through before leaving Woodbury. It was a drastic change from the cozy scene just behind the barrier. Cars were abandoned in the middle of streets along with belongings. Buildings were left either wide open or boarded up. Bodies in various states of decomposition were dropped here and there. The grass was overgrown and brown, stretching up from cracked pavement.

This remainder of the town looked as Alana felt.

She felt the anger and sorrow pricking from the backs of her eyes, tugging at the corners of her mouth and nudging at her chin. And as much as she wanted to cave in, there was no time for Alana to do so. Not enough time to stop and breathe.

Merle moved on up ahead. Alice, with the second pack on her back, kept at Alana's side, shouldering her arm and helping her along. She matched her pace to hers in the hopes of easing some of the pain from Alana's knee.

As they came upon any car or building or anything else a walker could be waiting behind, Merle kept so many feet ahead of them; checking the area before Alice and Alana followed after. Though they were moving further away from the barriers of Woodbury it was best to make as little noise as possible. Their own noise they could keep down. The attraction of any walkers was not something they had control over though.

Merle waited at the junction of two streets. The end of the town could be seen just up ahead. Alice carried Alana's weight the best she could. "Where are you leading us?" she asked quietly, eyes looking down the streets.

He did not answer, but instead turned to Alana expectantly.

With the halt of moving, the pain that had been ebbing with the constant exertion now returned. All Alana wanted was to keep moving at that moment.

"There's a prison, heading south."

Merle snorted; he knew just where it was. Hell, he'd thought of checking the place out, but never mentioned it to anyone. Figured it would be a waste of time, full to the brim with all those inmates looking for a bite. Alice asked how far it was from them. Merle shrugged as he continued down the street. "Sixty miles," he guessed.

"Sixty?" Alice hissed. "You can't expect her to walk the whole way! The Governor will find us before we even get five miles!"

Merle turned round sharply. "Wanna keep your mouth shut? Else he gonna be finding us real sooner than that." He scoffed. "Ya think I ain't got a plan for how to get there?" He looked to Alana and told her once more that she'd have to move faster. She scowled at him, eyes dark, but said nothing and picked up the pace.

The road leading out from Woodbury was laced on one side by woods and a field on the other. They walked on the side with the field. Merle's eyes continuously darted to the trees. The road curved and the woods quickly enveloped it. Merle kept looking back, face stern. He was expecting the others from Woodbury at any moment. He stopped and went to Alice, pulling at her arm to get a look at the watch she wore. It was at that time that Alana realized she was missing her own watch. As well as the backpack she'd been found with, and even a layer or two of clothing. The cold bit at her.

Merle swore under his breath. They hadn't been missing from Woodbury long and it wouldn't take much long for them to be missed. With his left arm he grabbed at Alana and began dragging her off the road, Alice protesting at his back.

"The two of ya stay here. Wasting enough time as it is." Alice asked where he was going as he had already begun stepping away. There was a car up ahead that had been abandoned. Of course, the gasoline was salvaged from it already. But Merle carried two flasks in his pack filled with enough that they just might be able to make it all the way to the prison. At the speed they were moving at the moment, it was going to be easier for him to head the rest of the way on his own and bring the car back for Alice and Alana. "Take twice as long to drag your asses there," he told them. Without another word, he turned and began jogging down the road, holding the back of the pack down with his right stump.

Alana leaned against the trunk of a fallen tree, her eyes scanning the woods. Alice watched Merle until he was out of sight. She was crouched beside Alana.

"You're breathing too loud," Alana spoke in a hushed voice. Alice twitched and looked to her.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Alice looked down the road.

"If they come round that corner, they'll spot you right away," Alana told her as Alice stared with paranoia.

"Sorry," she mumbled again, brushing the loose strands of her ponytail behind her ear. "I was only out here for two months. I—I'm not used to…this."

Alana studied her for a moment. "Then why did you come?"

"I told you," Alice answered, "it wasn't always like this. Wasn't ever exactly ideal, but…things are worse now." She turned away from the road. "It's only going to keep getting worse."

The sound of an approaching car quieted her. Alice looked to Alana who shook her head. Through labored breathing, she held Alice against the fallen tree. There were no headlights on the road, but Alana didn't move.

The noise grew, coming from her left and she turned her head towards it. The engine was not turned off as someone opened the door and stepped out. Leaves crunched under heavy feet and Alana tilted the gun up.

Merle did not wait; he reached down and began pulling Alana up. Alice was quick to stand and hold her up. Merle hissed at the two of them to hurry and get into the back of the jeep. He took the pack from Alice and threw it into the back. Alice crawled in first and then pulled Alana up and onto the seat. The door was closed just as Alana's feet cleared. The jeep rocked as Merle climbed back in and threw it into gear. He reversed to fully make the u-turn and then began driving quickly down the road, headlights off. His eyes darted to the rearview mirror every few seconds.

He asked Alana which roads they'd taken to get to the helicopter crash site from the prison. She was slow in responding and so he repeated the question with irritation.

Alice shook her head as she cradled Alana against her. She placed a palm against her cheek. "She's burning up."

"She gonna fuckin' turn?" Merle asked, voice raised.

Alice fought to not roll her eyes. "No. You locked her up in those stupid storage rooms. I already told you, she probably has a fractured rib. May be broken by now," she then added in regards to what had been done to her that night. Merle told her to look in the backpacks he'd brought.

Along with a bottle of painkillers, water, and a flask of whiskey, Alice pulled out a local road map. With some coaxing, she managed to get Alana to take the medication and then point out the road taken from the prison. Alice shoved the map to the front with Merle.

"Think you can manage the rest on your own now?" she asked. Merle muttered something about turning the car around as he held the map up against the steering wheel and punched one of the buttons at the roof to turn a light on. He then tossed the map onto the passenger seat and turned off the light.

Alana fought the want to move as the pain settled in. It was a task to just breathe. And no matter how much she tried, she wanted to scratch at her skin; it felt as if there was a film of filth covering her. Alice saw her grabbing for the bottle of medication, but pulled it from her hands.

"You take anymore and you'll OD," she told her.

And so Alana instead grabbed the flask of whiskey and forced the liquid down her throat. Anything to make her numb; last thing she wanted was to feel. Anything.

As they continued down the back roads, Merle did not look to the rearview mirror as often and Alice's shoulders began to slump. She held Alana upright against her, her legs splayed out across to the other side of the backseat. She'd crane her neck to look to Alana's face, thinking perhaps she'd passed out. But Alana's eyes remained open, staring blankly off.

"You had this planned the whole time?" Alana asked Merle after some time. Off ahead, peaking through the woods, a faint light rose as the morning began to wake. Her voice was plain aside from a small hint of agitation.

Merle looked to her through the rearview mirror. Alice looked between the two of them. She'd heard the Governor talking with Rick, asking about others. Rick had said the same as Alana; the rest were all dead. At the mention of the prison, Alice had just thought that that was where the four of them had been. She hadn't really thought much about the mention of Merle's brother. What with the situation she had been in, sneaking out of Woodbury.

"The others," she said. "The group—they're alive? At the prison?"

"Alive and kicking," Merle answered. He raised his head and asked, "Which of those cunts are dead?"

Alana grunted as she spoke, sharp pain shooting through her abdomen. Merle rattled off a name or colorful description of someone and she'd answer with dead or alive. Alice listened with vague understanding. She asked how Merle knew that his brother was alive and he then brought up the hunting knife that Alana had been carrying.

"No way my baby brother would let some little bitch take that off him," he laughed. "Nope, and no way he'd be dead. Taught his ass better than that."

Alice slowly shook her head, staring up to the driver's seat. "And this was your plan? Beat her half way to death and then sneak her out?" She snorted, shaking her head again. "Brilliant plan by the way, just brilliant. I hope you know she very well may be developing an infection already."

"She still alive, ain't she?" Merle asked.

"And at what cost?" Alice retorted. She was done on the subject and needed to move on to something else. She recalled the others Alana had been with. "You said Martinez got them out. So where are they? Why haven't we met up with them yet?"

Merle breathed out stiffly through his nose.

"He wasn't part of the plan," Alana said shakily. Her eyes were fixed on Merle as she fought to keep her head steady. She received confirmation through silence. "It's a trick, isn't it?"

"A trick?" Alice said. "What is? What does she mean?" she asked Merle, a sharpness in her tone.

"Plan was to get you all out," Merle answered. "That spic ruined things. He ain't working with me."

"Then…." Alice trailed off and then shook her head.

"Don't be so surprised darlin'. You always busy helping the Doc. Ya really think Martinez is a cup of sunshine? Boy's had his share of holes."

Alice pushed the thoughts from her mind. She wanted none of this in her head. "So the Governor planned this. Wants to find their prison. What do we do then, just, kill Martinez when we catch up?" Merle raised his brow; the answer was rather obvious to him. Alice looked over to him, a confusion still lingering over her. Confusion and hesitancy. "Why are you helping them? Why risk all this—you've only ever been concerned about yourself since you showed up."

Alana was giving in to the medication as it coursed through her. Her head tilted back against Alice. She looked over Merle's profile. "We were supposed to be your way back in. Back to your brother," she said quietly. "Do whatever you had to to get back to your family."

Merle looked to his right, seeing that Alana had faded off in the haze of drugs. He frowned before looking to Alice and then turning back to the road.

Alice scoffed under her breath. "Of course," she muttered. "Only worth doing if it benefits you, huh?" She didn't wait for a response. She leaned further against the door and tried her best to relax with Alana's weight on her.

They continued down the roads. Merle checked the mirrors. Alice kept her fingers at Alana's wrist, relieved that her pulse never faltered. The sun kept on rising slowly in the sky and Alana remained sleeping.

"They won't be happy, when they see what's happened to her," Alice told Merle. She knew that Alana was deep enough into sleep that she wouldn't wake. The exhaustion and pain, teamed with the medication, would keep her knocked out for a while longer. Hopefully. "And when they learn you had a part in it—I doubt they'll be rolling out the carpet for you. What I don't get, is why they left without her in the first place. They seemed to be tightly knit together, so why leave her behind?"

"Saw that Foxy Brown running round with her damn sword, heading for the infirmary," Merle said. "May or may have not said a few things bit too loud. Said she'd escaped and was over the wall." He slid down in the driver's seat a bit. "Probably ran off and told the others. Martinez wouldn't have let them stay back and wait. He gotta find this prison."

"You're going to use her, aren't you? Weasel your way back into the group."

"That's the plan," Merle said with a smirk.

Alice shook her head and stopped speaking to him. She sat up a bit anytime they turned onto a different road. Grew tense as they passed by walkers; they'd slowly turn and follow after the jeep.

"Will they find us?" Alice asked after some time. She did not try to hide the worry from her voice.

Merle was quiet for a short moment. "No one in that town from round here. They ain't gonna find us long as we take care of Martinez." Alice nodded to herself. "Second ya see him, you use that gun, ya hear?" She nodded again.

She could see the sun finally, peaking out from the horizon as she glimpsed it through the trees. She didn't have a clue what this prison would be like. How the people there would receive her. She'd be lucky if they received her at all. Merle had the right of it; Alana was a golden ticket. Much as it disgusted Alice, she'd have to use Alana as a shield. She'd helped her the best she could, that was enough for a chance at least, wasn't it?

Merle looked over his shoulder. "Wake her up. Almost there."

WDWDWDWD

There was no thinking of how much or how little time had passed by. Martinez wasted no time once reaching the car Rick and the others had come in. He yanked the driver's door open and slung his backpack in. He stepped up into the car and looked behind to Rick and Glenn. They in turn were watching the way they had come. The sun would be rising soon.

"What are you waiting for?" Martinez asked. "We can't stay here, we gotta go!"

Glenn shook his head and Rick looked to Martinez with ragged eyes.

"We're waiting for Michonne and Alana," he said with as steady a voice as he could manage, still trying to catch his breath. They'd never once stopped running once over the wall. Martinez began to argue against staying. "No—no, we're waiting for them. We're not leaving them behind."

"Governor probably already knows you four are missing, he'll be sending men out. We can't just sit here and wait to get dragged back there to that place."

"Shh!" Glenn hissed to the two men. He still watched the path through the woods they'd taken to reach the road; it had been faster than just attempting to follow the road. And Martinez had said they couldn't risk following the road; Governor's men would be coming that way.

The rustling of dead leaves grew louder and Michonne stumbled into view, favoring one leg, an arm held against her side with the other. Glenn rushed forward to help her. Rick came up to her, grabbing her shoulders and lowering his head to her eye level.

"Alana? Where's Alana?" he asked quickly, eyes darting over her to the woods.

Michonne gritted her teeth and shook her head. "Daryl's brother," she said and Rick's glare became hot. "He said they caught her heading over the wall…shot her down."

Glenn choked on the air he was breathing in.

"She ain't coming," Michonne added.

Rick kept his head from spinning, needing to keep himself grounded. He looked Michonne over. "You hurt?"

She shook her head. "It's not my blood," she told him. Michonne pulled out from Rick's grasp and made for the car, pulling the door out and carefully sliding herself in before shutting it.

Martinez said they needed to leave and he started the car. Rick sighed, rubbing harshly at his face and taking a deep breath. His eyes couldn't help but to look to the woods, still expecting Alana to show herself. He walked over to Glenn and pulled him to the car. They needed to get moving. Now was not the time. He got Glenn and himself into the car, then Martinez drove off. Rick vaguely recalled the man asking him where he was heading, what roads he needed to take. Rick answered him, though his own voice sounded a hundred miles away. He turned his head to the window and hid in the car seat, not letting anyone see the stinging tears that trailed over his face.

Dead didn't matter; it seemed too cruel to have left her in that place.

WDWDWDWD

Dale had come rushing from outside and into the cafeteria, searching for Daryl. He and Axel had been keeping watch while Daryl took a rare break to actually come inside and eat something. Lori sat with him in silence.

There was no need for words; Daryl was up in a moment and following after Dale as the old man rattled on about Lucas being back. As they came outside, Axel was just opening the gates. Lucas parked the car off with the others, moving at a slow pace out of the car.

Daryl was quick to note that he was alone in the car. The others were hurriedly coming outside. Daryl shot a look at them and they all stopped just outside the doors to C-block. Lori was there with them. She must have said something, because they all stayed put as she made her way over to Daryl. She stood at his side, her back to the others. They, along with Dale, blocked Lucas from the sight of the others.

"Found their car," Lucas told them. He said it had been empty, yet there was no sign of a struggle. No walkers in the area. Then he mentioned following the trail into the woods, to the helicopter. "Someone else was there." Though they were far off enough, he still lowered his voice. "They took them. I followed the tracks. Led off to a different road. Followed that road…there's a town. Woodbury."

"Other survivors?" Dale asked in shock.

Lucas looked to Daryl and the latter could see the hesitancy in his eyes.

"They _took_ them. That town is surrounded. Have their own Hadrian's wall going round it. There's no way in…no way out."

"How many people there?" Daryl asked.

Lucas shrugged. "At least fifty." And it wasn't just people, he told them. He got a look at the people manning the walls; the weapons they carried. "Looks like they raided the National Guard. We have pea shooters compared to them." Lucas leaned over, resting against his own knees. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I…I don't know."

Daryl lashed out, punching at the side of the car and slamming his hands upon it. He turned to Lori who wore a stiff face, not looking to anyone.

A shrill whistle pierced the air and they all turned towards the tower. Axel was back up there, pointing wildly to the road.

There was Alana's car, coming into view.

Axel shouted down from the guard tower, lowering a pair of binoculars. He could see Rick waving from the passenger seat.

Ignoring everyone else, Daryl sprinted to the gates. As he rushed to undo the chains, more hands appeared around him. T-Dog and Heath and Lucas were moving frantically to help him. The gates were opened as the car reached them. It drove on past, towards A-block.

The four doors opened and Daryl slowed his pace until he was barely moving, while the others continued to rush towards the car. He watched as Hershel ushered them into the building, into the infirmary. Rick stood there by the car, helping Glenn out, pushing him towards the building's doors. Someone was helping Michonne into A-block. Didn't matter who, it was Alana. That was all that mattered to Daryl. He looked back to the gates. Back to the car. He kept waiting for her to drag her ass out from the back seat. She was taking too damn long. Gulping, Daryl began making his way over. He'd drag her out himself. Girl probably taking a nap in the back, as if she hadn't been gone this whole time.

"Daryl." He could hear Rick speaking to him. Could see him try to step in front of him.

His voice began low and then rose until he was shouting. "Where is she?" he asked no one in particular. "Why ain't she in there? Where is she?"

Rick pushed him back, but the damn man couldn't even say a thing. Just stared at him with this sad eyes of his, like he was about to tell him his dog got run over or something. Daryl just wanted him to spit it out. He asked if Alana was dead. Rick still couldn't say anything. "Just fuckin' say it," Daryl demanded. "She dead? Why ain't she here?"

Rick barely spoke the words, but Daryl head them loud and banging through his head.

"She didn't make it." After those words, Daryl zoned out, didn't hear anything else Rick had to say to him.

He took a step back and found himself falling in shards to the ground. T-Dog was attempting to hold him up, gripping tightly to him. Heath was unsteady before him. Lucas asked in unsure words what had happened. Daryl took it all in, felt it pushing him further into the ground. There was no falling deeper. She'd been shot down. And then Daryl found a small crack in the ground and felt himself falling deeper at those words. Shot down.

"Michonne went to get her," Rick said. He held back from speaking Merle's name. Not yet. Daryl didn't need that, not yet. "Heard some of the men talking. They'd found her trying to get away."

They continued to speak around him. Their words never reached him. Daryl looked back to the car.

Alana wasn't going to come out from it.

He pushed himself up, jerking out from T-Dog's arms. He found his steadiness and stepped away. He didn't need to be around the others. Didn't want to be.

Making it halfway back to C-block, it took Andrea pulling at his shoulder to bring Daryl back to reality for a moment. She was trying to hurry him up towards the greenhouse; it was the closest building. Everyone else had taken shelter in the nearest buildings. Daryl followed Andrea's gaze and finally saw the jeep making its way down the road. Andrea grabbed for the walkie talkie they left in the greenhouse and turned it on. Axel was speaking on the other end, relaying what he saw.

"Look like there's two of them. Guy in the front. Girl in the back."

Andrea cursed at them leaving the gates open. "Shit! Axel, get a lock on the driver and wait." Rick came in on another of the walkies, agreeing.

The jeep came to a slow roll as it reached the open gates. It took a turn, heading to the right as it came upon the guard tower. When it drove along the greenhouse, Andrea stood up and walked out, rifle up and aimed.

She squinted, mouth open, and lowered the rifle slightly.

At hearing Merle's name escape her lips, Daryl was up.

Merle saw her and stopped the jeep, smirking as it turned the engine off. He opened the door, but remained in the driver's seat. "Well look at that, you still alive blondie?"

Andrea fixed her aim back on Merle. "What are you doing here Merle?"

There was a sound of distress from the backseat and Merle looked over his shoulder. The car door on the other side opened and a woman slowly stepped out. She reached back in to grab at something large. That was when Merle decided to step out himself, acting as casually as could be. Steps were hurrying over to them. Rick and Lucas was running towards them, guns drawn.

And then they stopped.

Merle looked over the hood of the jeep to Rick and shouted at him. "Ya forget something back there, Officer?"

Being held up by the woman and while still balancing herself against the car, was Alana.

"Is there a medical wing?" the woman shouted, looking to every face around her. "She needs help." Alana mumbled something to Alice and she began turning her to their right. "A little help would be nice," she sneered to Merle, who then held his arm and stump up in the air.

"Well don't just stand there ya cunts, little southern hospitality wouldn't kill you," he said. "You hear me baby brother, get your ass over here."

Merle had not even made it round the jeep when a scuffle arose and shots rang out.

Rick and Lucas were cowered on the ground, covering their heads. Alice had staggered away from Alana as the gun nestled in the band of her pants at the back was yanked away. All eyes were on Alana, her arm raised, shaky. She lowered it quickly and began staggering to A-block. The others followed her with their eyes, seeing the form that laid moving slowly from side to side just outside the doors.

Martinez attempted to sit up. Alana fired another round and nicked him in the shoulder. He fell back. She fired the remaining rounds, many not even hitting the man. But he kept in place.

She still felt the pain, the brokenness within her. None of it mattered. Horrible as it all felt, her anger was greater than it. Seeing Martinez, in her eyes, just waltz right out from A-block had set something off inside her and all she saw now was red. Her body was tearing and breaking with each step she took, but none of that mattered. It cried out against her as she reached Martinez and raised the handgun above her head, bringing it down harshly against his head. She did it, again and again. Her knees had shattered and wept as she fell to the ground, repeating blow after blow. Her face was splattered with wetness and her hands turned sticky and slick at the same time. With weak legs she rose and kicked at the body that now only twitched.

Alana found herself sobbing, trying to catch up with her breath. Her last barrier was broken. She dropped the gun and clutched at her stomach. It began as a gag and then she was retching, emptying the little liquid within her. She lowered herself to the ground and then rolled onto her side, sobs continuing with shudders.

No one approached her; they all stood around her, watching. Afraid. Many were stunned into silence. Stunned by what they saw before them.

It was Alice that came forward, lowering herself beside Alana, holding lightly to her shoulders as she ushered her to sit up.

Daryl wanted to move. Wanted to run to her. He had followed after her, just as Rick and Lucas had. But he couldn't move anymore. Why didn't she look like Alana anymore? This wasn't Alana, it couldn't be.

Before him was a beaten and bloodied woman.

Bloodied…why were her clothes bloody? Why—why was there blood on her jeans?

Why…

Oh.

No. God no.

**So…..not a very **_**happy**_** reunion. But hey, a lack of happiness is to be expected from me. Next chapter will be the fallout from all this; plus we have Merle and Alice to contend with! Wonder how the group will react to them. Will Alana vouch for them? **

**And, the big question, what happens to Alana and Daryl now? **

**As always, share your ideas, theories, hopes for what will and will not happen. **

**I'll be back as soon as I can with another chapter. **


	79. Chapter 79

**Here's the first part! Will be posting the second in a few hours when I get chance (: **

Those still inside A-block had dared not come out. Glenn could be heard calling out from within after the gunfire had ceased. It took a moment, but Rick managed to relay to him that everything was all right—as right as it could be. Alana's remaining strength was wavering and it could be seen that Alice was beginning to falter under her weight. The emotion began to fade from Alana and her eyes deceived nothing, but still no one was daring enough to come forward. This was not the Alana they had known before. And it had not taken them long to decipher the cause behind her actions.

The first to move was Merle, of all people. He wiped at his mouth and walked a wide berth round Alana and Alice, until he stood in front of them, looking down at the mess that was Martinez. He surveyed Alana for a moment and then spit on the body. He stepped forward with his good arm out, but did not come all the way to Alana. With a staggered hop, she moved from Alice to Merle. Without missing a beat, Alice followed closely behind them as they headed into A-block, Alana giving faint directions down the halls.

Soon as they were in the infirmary, Alice was asking questions to Hershel. At this point, Alana pushed their voices out of her head. She vaguely registered that Glenn and Michonne were in there as well. At an unknown moment, Merle had left. Lori, Andrea, and Maggie had come in. The last thing she could recall was the feel of clean cloth against her skin as a needle was placed in her arm. And then she slept.

There were smaller wings to the infirmary, one in which there was x-ray equipment. Alice managed to get Rick to agree to turn the generators on so that it may be used on Alana. As she had suspected, Alana had two fractured ribs on her left side and a broken one on her right. With each suggested course of action, Rick would turn to Hershel who in turn would agree with Alice.

"All we can do is treat the pain," Hershel said. "Let her sleep as much off as possible." Looking over his shoulder to Rick as they hooked up a second IV bag, he asked, "What happened out there?"

"He'll come looking," Alice told Rick. "Merle says no one there knows this prison, but he'll find you all, eventually."

Hershel began to ask whom she was referring to, but Rick responded. "If he's still alive." Surprise went over Alice's face. "Have everyone meet in the cafeteria." He looked to Michonne who was wrapping up her right wrist on one of the other beds. Glenn had slowly made his way out with Maggie already. Rick asked Hershel to remain behind and watch over Alana. He told Alice to come with him. He'd trust her word first before Merle's.

As they were walking out, along with Michonne, Merle came walking casually into the infirmary, whistling. Without a hint of acknowledgement over what had just occurred, he asked, "Any drugs in here? Got a fucking headache." He walked past them and began looking through the open cabinets. Hershel nodded to Rick's face of concern; he'd be fine in there with Merle. Was probably best for Merle to be in there instead of with the others right now. He was on quite a few lists and none of them were the good lists.

Hershel sat beside Alana's bed, his eyes following Merle as the man wandered through the infirmary. "Take it you plan on staying here with us."

Merle smirked. "That's the plan, boss."

Hershel offered some advice. "Perhaps you should go make your case then with the others. From what I hear, you weren't too liked back in Atlanta."

At this Merle laughed; he knew it wouldn't bother Alana, she was taken with the medications. He grabbed a pillow from a spare bed, bringing it to one across from Alana's. He dropped it atop the other pillow and then laid out on it, stump resting behind his head. "And risk you kicking little old me out?" He knew exactly what game he was playing at. If given the chance, he knew the others would force him out—especially when they learned that the majority of Alana's injuries were courtesy of him. No, he'd stay right there in that infirmary with her till she woke and could vouch for him. Because he knew that she would. She'd make sure that he and Alice were allowed to stay there at the prison. Alana was smart like that, he knew. Common sense. He'd keep near to her and no one would touch him.

Hershel considered asking what had happened, where he and Alice had come from, but from what little he knew of Merle, he figured it best to just wait and hear it all from Rick. He rose and began gathering up Alana's bloodied clothes, tossing them in the bin and cleaning up the hectic mess they'd all made while tending to her. There was a small shower room meant for inmates that were confined to the infirmary; Alana had been washed down in there. Hershel went in there to begin cleaning away the blood trails. When he returned to the infirmary, Alana was still fast asleep and Merle had picked up a random book someone left behind and was flipping through it with his good hand. Hershel looked over Alana. Her skin was bruising and cuts were scattered all over. He sighed and sat back down.

In the cafeteria, Rick chose his words slowly and wisely. Just out of the corner of his eye he could see that Daryl was there. No one sat with him, but as the last of the group came in, Dale took a seat with him. He said nothing to the younger man. Everyone was present except Hershel, Axel, Alana, and Merle. Alice sat sideways at a table besides Rick, hands in her lap and head down. She didn't know what to expect. She noticed that Merle was not there and she thought he was clever. Likely stuck at Alana's side, protecting his own hide while she got to face the firing squad.

"We found the helicopter," Rick began. He recounted how there had been no survivors. How there had been other tracks. And ultimately how the Governor's group had found them, along with Merle. At his name, a few in the group grew tense. "They took us back to their town. It's…some fifty odd miles away. Maybe. They've walled it off. They have these fights." Rick turned and looked down at Alice. He explained the set up of the fights and then said how Michonne was forced to take part in them. "Any survivors they come across, they kill."

Alice raised her head, but did not look to any one person in particular. "He'll let you live, if he thinks you have any value. To him. But, that hasn't happened…in a long while. He likes control. The last person he allowed into Woodbury was Merle. We have so many people now, it can be difficult to maintain everything."

"That's why he wanted to know where we were holed up. Suppose he thought he could come and scavenge all the supplies." Andrea asked Rick what they had told him. "That we were on our own. Rest of the group was dead." But he hadn't believed it, at least not Merle—that's what Glenn had added.

Alice could feel the group turning against her and Merle. They were piecing together who had done some of the beatings. She spoke.

"Merle knew you were all lying. He told me so." Rick looked to Alice, waiting for her to continue. "He said that, that knife Alana was carrying, it belonged to his brother." Daryl stared hard at her at Alana's name. "Merle said there was no way," she spoke with a pause, "that a little bitch could take that off his brother. And that he couldn't be dead because he raised him better than that. So he decided to help you guys escape in return for getting back to his brother."

"And Martinez?" Rick asked. "What was his plan?"

"The Governor sent him. Merle said he was never working with him. He lied and made sure that you would hear him about Alana so that you'd still leave. He told another guard that Alana was dead so that a path would be cleared for us to get out."

"Was beating the shit out of us part of his plan too?" Michonne asked with distaste. She sat there at one of the tables with a black eye and busted bottom lip.

"Yes," Alice answered erratically and then sighed, rubbing her hands on her jeans. She shook her head. "Because Alana had his brother's knife, Merle made her the priority. He beat her up so that no one else would. So that Martinez wouldn't try to—" Alice bit her lip and held back.

Rick couldn't walk around it or let the others hover round it. "The Governor raped Michonne and Alana."

Cautiously, some looked over to Daryl. He sat with his fists clenched under the table. Dale did not make any moves towards him.

"What happened to the Governor?" Alice asked. "You said, 'if he's still alive.' What happened?"

"Michonne paid him a visit before we left," Rick told her and the others. "If he's still alive, he won't be coming after us for a while." He rubbed tiredly at his face. "For the time being, let's all just rest. Gather our strength back. Neither of them go anywhere alone," he added in regards to Alice and Merle.

He didn't know what else to say and so Rick asked for Andrea to remain behind along with T-Dog, Heath, and Lucas. He wanted to begin going over defenses. The paranoia was quick to set in.

Alice stood back as everyone walked away. With a shyness, she looked to Dale. "I'd like to go back to see her, make sure she's okay."

"I'll take you," Maggie said from behind her. Alice jumped slightly but followed after her.

Dale stood slowly, leaning over the table. "I'll go check on her," he told Daryl and walked off.

When the old man reached the infirmary, Alice was already there. She was lining up various medications and writing things down on a piece of paper. Times and dosages of medications to give Alana. Merle still lounged back on one of the beds, not paying attention to the others in there with him. Dale came to stand in front of Alana's bed and look over her injuries. His mouth fell slowly open as he shook his head. He looked to Merle who quirked a brow up.

"That's not all my work, grandpa."

Dale chose to ignore him. He asked Alice when she would wake.

"When we let her," she answered. "I don't know how much pain she might be in, so it'll probably be best to let her sleep most of the next few days away." Alice pointed to one IV bag. "We can stop this in a few hours. Should wake up a bit afterwards. See if she can eat anything, then start the IV again. I'll stay with her through the night," she offered. Seemed the least she could do. Also, Alice did not feel that the others would care to have her around them for a while. Not until they trusted her.

A scuffle at the door drew their attention. Daryl stood there, his eyes looking everywhere except where Alana was laid out on the bed. No one could really read his face, tell what he was thinking. And none knew what to say to him.

She was a collection of bruising colours that floated over her skin, making her look rotten. His eyes passed over her once and his stomach tightened. Daryl's feet began to move him forward. He looked to Merle, ignoring the others in the room. "Ya do that to her?" he asked.

Merle sat up slowly, watching Daryl's every move. He was stepping away from Alana's bed and moving towards him. He knew what his baby brother was going to do before he knew so himself.

"Underneath all that's my handiwork. Rest came when she fought back."

Daryl lunged at Merle, taking swipes at him. The others were quick to move back. Merle tripped Daryl, leading him to fall over one of the beds. It was just enough time for Merle to grab at his brother. He yanked one of his arms behind his back while his stump pushed against Daryl's throat. Jerking him around, he forced him to look at Alana there on the bed, unmoving.

"She alive, ain't she?" Merle pushed Daryl towards the bed. "I did that for you baby brother! Ain't no other way she was getting outta there alive. You ask her. When she wakes, you ask her!" Daryl had his head hung, not looking directly at Alana's face. Merle took notice of this. He shoved Daryl forward. "Now ya sit there and don't you fucking run away and make me drag your ass back here."

Merle started walking out from the infirmary and Hershel followed after him.

Dale watched Daryl stand before the bed, looking over Alana. When his eyes began to glass over, Dale motioned for Alice to follow after him. It was not difficult for Alice to understand the connection between Alana and Merle's brother. With a wary stare, Alice left the infirmary, walking alongside Dale.

There was a chair beside her bed. Daryl lowered himself into it, still not fully looking to her. He began with her hands, taking in the busted skin around her knuckles and the broken nails. Her wrists were torn from the chains that had kept her in place. The skin around her collarbone faded from one shade of purple to another, a pale blue and yellow here and there. Cruel handprints could be seen gripping around her neck. Her cheeks were cut and bruising and inflamed. The side of her left eye was swollen and fresh blood had already begun to crust over her skin. For all the damage that was done to her, she slept there in the bed so peacefully that it sickened Daryl. He held back the tears that threatened to escape, but when he reached out for her hand, felt the cuts and scrapes on her skin, felt that it was all real and not just a trick on his eyes, Daryl's shoulders drooped and he hung his head, watching as the tears fell and collected onto Alana's arm.

He cried for her and he cried for himself. He didn't know what to do anymore. How could he fix this?

**Second half will be leading up to when Alana wakes up and how she and Daryl react to each other. Will have it up in a few hours when I get a chance to get back online. **


	80. Chapter 80

**And here's the second half! **

She had been aware of when the medications wore off and she awoke for a short time. She was aware when Alice or Hershel restarted the IV drip and then slowly she'd fall back asleep. Alana said very little during the moments when she was awake. In all, she had been brought in and out of her coma-like sleep for three days. After that point, Alice had thought it best to keep her as alert as possible. As bleary as those three days may have been, Alana could recall each waking moment though they came to her as if from the end of a tunnel.

There had always been someone with her, judging by the mess of the bed beside her. Someone had been sleeping there in the evenings. Judging by the constant tiredness that hovered over Alice, Alana believed it to have been her.

Alana always saw the same people whenever she woke. Alice. Hershel. Maggie. She hadn't even wondered why the others never stopped by. If they did, they did so while she slept. Likely they all felt awkward with the thought of being in the room with her while she was awake. She was sure they were doing the same with Michonne, giving her a wide berth. How to treat a rape victim wasn't exactly something they taught you in grade school. And none of them wanted to be the one that fucked up on their first attempt.

A wheelchair had been placed at her bed. Still drowsy from the medications, she'd be helped up and eased into it. Instead of proper meals she was given small portions, snacks. Whatever required the least amount of effort, that was the course taken.

Come the fourth day, as Alice was storing away a few of the medications, Rick came in to the infirmary. He had lifted the no wandering alone ban on Alice. He nodded to Alana as he saw her sitting up in bed, a pile of pillows behind her. He asked her how her ribs were holding up.

"Could be worse," was her reply in a voice that had lost part of its edge.

"Her ribs won't heal up decently for about 6 weeks," Alice told Rick. "She won't be fully incapacitated, but she shouldn't be doing anything more than carrying her own weight around."

Rick had left and sent Maggie back with a collection of Alana's clothing. When she went into the cell and took the clothing, everyone knew what was going on. Alana was preparing to make her reappearance into the group. All went into caution and became wary of Daryl.

He'd been staying away from the infirmary whenever they woke Alana. While away from there, he stayed away from the others. He sat with his brother, followed after his brother, spoke only to his brother and even that was a rare occurrence.

Alana had finished dressing and Maggie was helping her into a zip-up jacket with a hood. "Lori's making chili tonight. It's meatless, of course, but we'll have some cornbread with it at least."

"Highlight of my day then," commented Alana. Maggie said nothing of it. Whatever snark or ire Alana unleashed, she'd take it in stride, just as everyone else would.

Alana took her first tepid steps before Maggie made a noise and turned around, picking up something. "Had been in one of the guards' offices." She held out a cane made from a single piece of carved and polished pale wood. Alana took it in her right hand, straightening her arm as she leaned her weight against it and felt a relief.

The pain was still there, even though it was subdued by the medications. It ached through her entire body, stemming from her core where she could still feel a rawness. For a moment she fought back the bile that threatened to rise up within her. She swallowed deeply, cringed at the pain that caused, and then took another step.

She didn't look to see who was up in the guard tower for the day, instead focusing on her breathing and keeping her legs from faltering. Once inside C-Block, she could hear the voices carry from the various places. Those voices died down as she turned the corner and passed by the cafeteria. Once inside the cellblock she could hear her own thoughts turning. And it was aggravating.

Not making eye contact with anyone, Alana turned for the stairs that led to the second level. She took them one step at a time. By the time she had reached the top she'd begun to sweat from the exertion. Coming to stand before her cell, she pulled the sheet aside and called out to no one in particular to bring her more pillows and a chair. She didn't wait for anyone to reply, but went inside the cell and leaned against the wall before sliding herself down slowly to the floor. Heath and Axel came in with the chair and pillows. Lucas followed with her DVD player in hand. He placed it back where he had found it and then the three of them left.

She sat there for a while, hearing the others moving about outside. Eventually, she rose stiffly and set the DVD played atop the chair. Alana sat back and let whatever film was in there play. She just wanted it for the noise it would make, to drown out the group. But even over the noise of the film she could hear them talking down there. Someone had asked where Daryl was. He'd gone off with Merle into the woods, hunting. It was likely that Daryl had stalked off and Merle only went after him to make sure he brought his ass back to the prison.

Before the film could finish, Alana fell asleep.

She awoke to find that Daryl's crossbow had been returned to their cell. The chair was now occupied by Michonne. When she saw that Alana was awake, she handed a spare bowl to her. The chili Lori had prepared for supper. The two ate in silence.

"What did you do to him?" Alana asked.

Michonne took another bite, chewing slowly. She leaned back in the chair. "Killed his little girl. Had her chained up in his apartment. Guess she'd been there a while. Ugly looking little bitch." She tapped her spoon on the bowl. "Cut his balls of. With a screwdriver. Then I tore his left eye out."

Alana numbly raised her head. "What about the other eye?"

"Heard someone coming down the hallway outside, so I got out of there."

Alana looked off at the wall and nodded. "Saving it for later then." Her eyes fell slowly to Michonne. Both began with smiles and then laughed quietly. Alana gasped and her bottom lip shook. Her laughter became tinged with sobs. "We're not okay, are we?" Michonne looked to her with a mirrored expression and shook her head.

By the time they had finished eating, the laughter and tears had subsided and a silence had fallen back over them. Michonne stood with a stiff back and took Alana's empty bowl. At the entrance of the cell she stopped and looked over her shoulder. She nodded to Alana then left.

As evening grew, Alana waited for Daryl to make a return to their cell. When others began going to bed, she knew then that he was out in the guard tower. Staying away from her. Doing what he did best, ignoring the world. Someone came up the stairs, whistling, late into the night. Alana looked at the new watch she'd taken from the supplies they'd gathered on their outings. Almost 1AM. The steps and whistling crept past her in the cell and headed further down. Merle. Must have been out in the guard tower with Daryl. Alana waited a while longer, but Daryl never came after.

She still wore her clothes from earlier, never taking her boots off. She'd laid down on the makeshift bed and fallen asleep a few times, but always awoke to still find the cell empty. Taking in her surroundings, Alana had to take deep breaths. To calm herself. It was so very dark and there was no use; she found herself back in that small storage room. Fumbling in the darkness, she found a small lantern and then reached for her cane. She had to get out from that cell.

She woke more than one person as she tried to make her way down the steps. She muttered to each and every one of them to leave her be. Alana kept her pace steady, breathing in each time she took a step forward on her right leg. At the doors that led outside she paused, picking up the walkie talkie that was set on the chair there. Shoving it into her jacket, she pushed against the door and headed outside.

The cold hit her immediately, but she didn't stop moving. Coming to the guard tower, Alana looked up, pulling the walkie talkie out and turning it on. "I know you see me, now turn the damn thing on," she mumbled. Daryl looked down on her. When she saw him reach for something and bring it back in front of him, she spoke into the radio. "If I have to climb those goddamn stairs I will, but when I get up there I will beat the shit out of you with this," she said, holding up the cane.

His voice came over the radio in a crackle of static. "You need to get some rest. Go back inside."

Alana scoffed even though it hurt her sides. "I can be stubborn too, you bastard," she muttered, pocketing the radio and readying herself for the stairs ahead of her.

She was just halfway up when she could hear Daryl speaking to her. Saying that she was insane. She'd only hurt herself even more. He came down the stairs, but didn't have a clue what to do, how to help her without hurting her in the process. So he stayed a few steps ahead of her, cursing as she wouldn't back down. Once she was at the top, he turned to reach for a chair, telling her to sit her ass down.

He was caught off guard when the cane connected with his arm. Daryl was so shocked that he stood there as she stepped closer, punching at his shoulder. Alana began shouting in anger, cheeks and ears turning red. "No, no! You don't get to do this. Not again!" She continued coming at him, taking swipes at him. "I don't get to run away from this, you don't either!" Daryl tried to block her blows. He ran out of space and bumped into the tabletop, bracing himself as she kept moving closer. Instinct took over and he grasped harshly at her wrists when she wrapped her hands around his throat. "I'm ruined!" Alana yelled, voice cracking as the tears came. Her nails bit into Daryl's skin. "I don't even know what he did to me!" Her choking hands slackened. "But I can _feel _it." Her arms dropped to her sides and Alana backed away from Daryl, staggering until she lowered herself to the floor. She knelt on her knees, a hand braced on the ground below her.

It happened slowly, but Alana could feel something near her and then a shadow crept across the floor. Daryl cradled her as lightly as possible against himself. Her eyes cleared and breathing came easier. She spoke in a quiet, vacant voice.

"He knew this would happen. My father." Alana played with the fringe on the sleeves of her jacket. "Said I was going to join the military, family tradition. And he…never had an issue with it. At least I thought so. Town's small. Easier to do those sort of things in small towns. Went to hospital for a checkup. They gave me a shot. I fell asleep. Woke up and…" Alana shook her head with a grimace. "I could feel it. Something wasn't right. There was something wrong with me. 'Tubal ligation,' getting your tubes tied. He had them make sure I couldn't get pregnant if I was ever…raped while in service." Alana took a shaky breath. "Every time I wake up something horrible has happened."

Alana pushed herself up from the floor using Daryl, dusting off her jeans and beginning to limp away towards the door. She was drained for the night. She had made it a few steps down when the amount of pain reminded her that she'd forgotten her cane. She turned around and headed back up the stairs. Alana stopped at the entrance when she saw that Daryl was still in place on the floor, his face tightened as he fought to not let the tears go. His shoulders were shaking from tension. She closed the distance between them, but remained standing, allowing him to wrap his arms around her while she used him to rest her weight against. It was strange, she thought, that in the aftermath of such an event, to find herself there offering comfort.

**I'll hopefully have some spare time tonight and tomorrow to begin work on the next chapter. Now since Alana won't be back to 100% for about six weeks, I'm hoping to encase that time within one chapter. So, how do you all think she will cope with being restricted to just healing, not being able to go out on patrols, killing walkers, etc.? **

**Also, during this time, how do you think Daryl is going to act around her? I most certainly am not going to split them up, so no need to worry about that. I'm not that evil. The way I've been thinking of playing it out is that Daryl becomes sort of a bumbling fool around her, paranoid she'll hurt herself, catering to her every need. Pretty much suffocating her with his attention because he simply does not know how to react to the situation. Any thoughts? **

**This week should hopefully be slow for me after Tuesday, so if I'm very lucky, I'll be able to get a new chapter out by the weekend for you guys. At the very least, I'll try post a half chapter for you all. **


	81. Chapter 81

**Yay! New chapter! **

**Lot of things planned that are coming up, so decided to break things down into various chapters instead of throwing everything at you guys at once. **

**Thanks for the reviews and new follows and faves! **

She moved away from Daryl, unwrapping his arms from her, and slowly sat down in the chair he had occupied. She did not look to him and she did not speak, not even her breathing could be heard in the small space of the guard tower. Rick had not told the group the extent of the events that took place in Woodbury. They were worried enough as it was. Michonne had not said a word to anyone on the matter and neither had Alana. They said not even anything to Andrea and she, in turn, did not press them to speak.

It had made sense, that Michonne would keep the details to herself. Alana had felt the same; that it was better to not recount what had occurred to Daryl. She believed she'd been doing him a great service in not burdening him with the weight that she carried. Part of her—though she would never admit it—also kept from him because she held a fear that he would reject her. Would see her as she saw herself. Sullied. And he became so angry so easily, so quickly. It would do no good to give him ammunition for such an outburst. And it had helped that in the few days that had passed Alana had been heavily medicated, awake only for short bursts of time. There had been no chance for her to speak on the matter.

And now that this day had passed with her fully alert, returned fully to the group, Alana had believed—had hoped—that she'd return to see Daryl as himself. She thought perhaps he would have questioned Merle on what had transpired at Woodbury, but now as she finally looked to Daryl there in the guard tower, she could see that no weight had been lifted from him. He remained there on the ground at his knees, tension vibrating about him as he threatened to slowly cave in on himself.

A sad, small smile came to her lips. As alone as she felt in this, Daryl was still in that room with her.

Alana began with a tired sigh and looked away from him. She sat with her back straight against the chair, legs stretched out before her and eyes downcast. "We had followed tracks. Away from the helicopter. It was obvious that someone had found the site before us and taken the survivors with them." She spoke as if detached from the story behind the words. She had to, knowing what was to come. "Found another road. There were men. We began to back away, but they already knew we were there. Merle was with him. He found the knife you gave me. Took us back to Woodbury." She told him of meeting the Governor. How he gave them this tour of the little town, that proud smile on his face, knowing the shock they'd be in once they learned the truth. "There was a storage building. They took us there, separated us. Rick they took to the infirmary and kept him there." She did not mention word of anything concerning the Governor's rape of Michonne that first night. "The next day, morning perhaps, Merle came in. Started with Glenn. Moved on to me when he wouldn't say anything. Asked where I had gotten the knife. Told him it was mine." Alana huffed. "Pointless. He knew that knife. I bought as much time as I could before saying it had been yours. Told him you'd gone off hunting and never came back. He beat me the entire time, until Martinez, the one that had shown up here with the others, came. He was angry with Merle when he saw what he'd done to me." Alan frowned. "Like he was…disappointed. Like he'd planned on the doing the exact same thing. I should have figured it out then, what he'd meant to do. And then seeing me like that, and the way Merle just smiled at him, so proud of himself. Must have thought that Merle had beaten him to me. So he didn't have interest anymore. Merle even said, 'I got to her first.' I should have seen it." Alana continued with how Michonne had been taken to be put in the fights and when she had returned. She scrunched her face up, forcing the sting in her eyes to remain at bay. "I thought…because I hadn't acted out that I'd be fine. Nothing would happen to me. And then I heard him. They were going to put me in the fights, but after what Merle had done, he didn't think it was worth it. And then he told them to chain me up, like they did Michonne." Alana shook her head; in doing so she caught sight of Daryl. His face was covered in shadow, but she could see the hard edges of anger. "I fought back and lost my balance. Blacked out. When I woke up…" Alana took a moment to collect the strength in her voice. "They took me to the infirmary. And then Merle found me."

Daring to look steadily at him, Alana saw Daryl's nose scrunch as he sniffled, rubbing it across his arm. He stared at the floor beneath him. He was seated on his bottom, knees brought up.

"I know the others don't care much for your brother. But…he got me out of there. I don't care what his endgame was, if it was just to use me to get back here to you. He still got me out of there." Alana nodded to herself. "I'll vouch for him, no matter what. From the moment they found us, he had this all planned. But what the Governor did…that wasn't part of it." A smile minutely graced her face. "Guess he figured there must have been a reason why I was carrying your knife and if anything happened to me it'd risk his chances of coming back into your good graces."

Alana waited for him to speak, but for a long while Daryl said nothing. She could hear faintly that he was fighting back from crying outright. She did not acknowledge that she was aware. The time came when she noticed movement outside C-block. T-Dog was coming out to cover the last shift. Alana vaguely heard herself stating as such. Daryl rubbed at his face quickly, standing. Neither looked to one another as he collected his things. At the doorway he paused, rolling on his step, before carrying on and heading down the stairs. Alana covered her mouth as she breathed deeply and exhaled, steadying her shoulders that shook. She blinked hard and slowly.

T-Dog said nothing to her when he entered. He took a seat in the other chair and began his watch. He had looked to her, acknowledging her. In that look she knew that she could stay up there the remainder of the night. He would say nothing to her unless she wanted him to.

After perhaps an hour, Alana stood, collecting her cane. T-Dog nodded to her as she passed and made for the stairs. Inside the cellblock, she took the steps gingerly. She was not sure until she was upon their cell whether she'd go in or keep walking. Sleep in another cell. Alone.

Alana found herself pulling the sheets back to enter the cell. As she let go and darkness took the room back over, she faltered, straightening her arm as she pressed the cane firmly into the floor. Her mouth twitched and her uneasy breath could be heard in the small space. Daryl turned a small lantern on and slowly the panic that had crept up Alana's spine faded to a shadow.

Daryl had already changed into his sleeping clothes, hidden under the layer of covers. He looked up to Alana with uncertainness and uneasiness. Guilt pushed down upon him. Why would she want to sleep so near to him? She probably had expected him to have gone off, to be sleeping somewhere else. Away from her. He began to rise from the bed. He quietly muttered that he'd sleep elsewhere for the night.

Alana raised a hand to stop him shakily. Having herself not kept walking to another to cell, she did not want to be alone. She wanted to still be wanted. To reassure herself that everything wasn't ruined. That she wasn't ruined completely.

"Could you leave the lantern on?" she asked in such a small voice that Daryl was not sure it had actually come from her.

He rose fully, pushing the covers away as he slowly picked up the lantern and carried it over to a far corner of the cell. He set it to the lowest brightness. When he turned back around, Alana discarding her boots and carefully lowering herself to the mattress. She pulled herself to the far side, pulling the covers as far up as they would go, her back to Daryl.

Alana felt as Daryl returned to the bed, but never felt him touch her. She tried to sleep, though found it difficult. As the sun rose she wasn't sure exactly how much sleep she'd managed to get. She must have slept at some point for she had turned in her sleep, facing Daryl, but keeping her eyes shut. When she did open them, she saw, from under her mountain of covers, that he lied on his back, biting at his thumb while the other hand fiddled with the ring that hung from the chain round his neck. Alana had given it back to him and he'd kept it on a chain, just as she kept hers on a chain.

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed she was awake until she carefully reached out to rest her hand over his. He gripped the ring for a moment, releasing it as her hand moved away. She glided it over his neck, to his chin, to the stubble that covered his cheeks. Her face remained plain though Alana was forcing her mind from wandering. From trying to fill in the empty spaces of what had happened to her. Whatever took place, it hadn't been Daryl. She returned to his hands, gripping one as she repeated in her mind that this was Daryl. He was his own being. She blocked any thoughts of Woodbury or the Governor from entering her mind.

Alana took a strained breath and Daryl turned his face to her. "Ya shouldn't be laying on your side like that," he whispered.

Feeling slightly deflated, Alana began to turn onto her back. Daryl held onto her hand though as she pulled away, allowing her to rest his against her chest. Still, she was unsure.

As the morning fully arrived and the group began to wake, Alana laid staring at the ceiling. When she could no longer remain there under the covers she slowly began to sit up. She hadn't been sure if Daryl was awake or not. He rose with her though, sliding out from under the covers. Standing on the mattress, he pulled the covers away from Alana and bent over her. With carefulness, as if Alana may pull away from him if he moved too quickly, he reached for her arms, wrapping them around his neck and supported her as he lifted her to a standing position. He stepped away then, clearing a path to the chair that was placed in their cell. He turned off the lantern in the corner, picking through his clothes alongside it. By the time he had dressed, Alana was seated, sliding back into her boots.

Daryl shrugged into a jacket. "Gonna go check the fences," he told her. "I'll come back later and check on ya." Alana nodded from the chair. For a moment he hesitated from leaving. Alana knew why. He didn't know whether to try and embrace her as he normally would, to dare to even kiss her, or to just leave.

The small fear won and he left.

As he made his way down the first few steps, crossbow over his shoulder, Daryl heard the soft _thud_ of Alana's cane as she came out from their cell. He halted, biting at the inside of his cheek. There were others up and moving about. The hesitancy began to fall back into place. Daryl looked again to Alana, seeing her with her head down, a defeat hanging over her, as if she had no chance.

He turned and made his way back to Alana, seeing the questioning in her eyes as he approached her. Without a word, Daryl came to her side, taking the cane in his hand. He guided her to lean about him, to use him as her cane. She had been depending so heavily on the actual one that Daryl just knew she'd end up with a sore shoulder and arm because of it.

He ignored the others, never making eye contact with them. It was only himself and Alana. Once to the first floor, he handed her cane back and followed alongside her to the cafeteria. Carl was sitting at one of the tables, already eating. When he saw Alana and Daryl enter, he stood and headed back to the kitchens, bringing another bowl of cereal with him. Daryl nodded to him from behind Alana.

Alana turned around when she felt the presence behind her fade, seeing Daryl walking out to check the fences. She turned back, taking the bowl from Carl and taking a seat at a table. He'd said he would come back and check on her; Alana found herself taking a small comfort in that knowledge. After eating, she rose and made her way to the infirmary with Alice where she was given a look-over and handed medication.

Alice readied to head back to C-block, but Alana informed her that she'd stay behind. "I'm not much use," she said. And it was easier to lay down on the infirmary beds and get up than it was on the mattress in the cell. As Alice nodded and began to walk off, Alana stopped her. "Will you tell Daryl that I'm here?" she asked. Alice agreed to.

After the echo of her steps died away, Alana moved to a bed that was more in the path of the sunlight coming in from the barred windows. Not having anything to do, and having not brought anything to keep occupied with, Alana closed her eyes.

When Daryl arrived, she was fast asleep, all doubt and pain washed from Alana's face. The bruises remained though. Seeing that he hadn't woken her, Daryl left again and returned with a pack from their cell. He'd stuffed an assortment of things in it. The DVD player, food and water, their books, and a small bottle of whiskey he'd been keeping hidden. Yes, Hershel had stored all the alcohol there in the infirmary, but Daryl knew very well that the man would notice if a bottle went missing. Best to dig into his own stash.

He set his things down and saw that Alana still hadn't woken. He stepped closer, seeing the small rise and fall of her chest. His assumptions that she hadn't slept much during the night appeared to be correct. Moving himself as quietly as possible, he positioned himself on the bed beside hers. He admittedly hadn't slept much either and it wasn't long before he drifted off.

The two did not wake until Alice had come back to check on Alana out of concern. She'd heard how active Alana had been previously and carried a slight paranoia that she'd try to return to her former self too quickly.

"How is your knee feeling?" Alana responded that it still ached just as much as before taking the medication. Alice nodded, thinking to herself for a minute. With her lips down-turned, she left, returning some time later with a pot. In it were wet cloths. She'd soaked them in hot water and wrung out as much of the water as possible. "Can't exactly take a nice hot bath," she told Alana, "so this will have to do. It's likely the cold that's irritating it, which, in turn, is causing new pain. Alice rolled Alana's pant leg up and wrapped one of the towels around her knee. She said if any other parts ached to place the other towels on them before leaving.

"Don't you have anything to do today?" Alana asked as Daryl rose, digging through the pack. He took out the DVD player and a film, setting it up at the foot of another bed and dragging it forward so that the two of them may see it while still laying down.

Daryl shook his head. "Gotta look after you," he told her as he stepped back to his bed. There was no annoyance in his tone, no authority. Only a common sense, as if Alana should know better.

He had grabbed a film from the prison library and Alana couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face as she recognized it as being Monty Python. Daryl grabbed pillows from the other beds and came to stack them behind Alana so that she may sit up slightly. When the towel around her knee began to lose heat and she reached to switch it out for another still in the pot, Daryl rose without a word. He kept an eye on the small screen as he wrapped the new towel around Alana's knee, and then returned back to his own bed.

As the film neared ending, Alice came back to the infirmary once more, this time with Lori. She had been having cramps. Once again, without a word, Daryl rose, gave Alana a once over to make sure she didn't need anything at the moment, and left. The day carried on; Lori remained in the infirmary with Alana. Alice as well. Alana remained quiet as the other two spoke idly.

When Daryl hadn't returned and Alana could no longer remain in the infirmary, she said that she was leaving. Alice was quick to stand and help her up. She asked if she wanted her to help her back to C-block, but Alana said no. And when Alice offered to carry the pack back, she turned that down as well. Daryl would return for it later.

Alana did not say that she intended to go to the greenhouse. Surely there must be something there that she could do. Even if it was just pushing dirt around.

She hadn't even made it to a chair inside when Daryl's voice came from the entrance, demanding to know what she was doing.

"I'm going to push dirt around," she told him in an exasperated tone. Alana quietly wondered how Daryl had known what she was up to. She didn't see him up in the guard tower. She then turned to look at him and saw the soot that dusted his face and the arms of his jacket. "What were you doing?" she asked.

Daryl ignored her, coming forward and giving her no choice but to come with him and go back to C-block if she was unwilling to return to the infirmary. He offered himself up as replacement for her cane and guided her out from the greenhouse.

But a strange noise caught her attention. It sounded like a blowtorch. Scrunching her brow, Alana stopped and looked to the garage. When Daryl said nothing, she turned course and began heading for it. "What's going on? What are you doing in there?" Daryl tried to pull her back, but Alana stepped away, using her cane to carry on. Daryl followed beside her, fidgeting, unsure of whether he should attempt to stop her. He may hurt her in the process.

In the garage, Alana could see Axel working away at something. Next to him was whatever Daryl had been working on. They were sheets of metal leaned against a wall. The two objects before Alana appeared to be taking on the rough form of rectangles. Axel stopped at his welding and looked behind to see Alana and Daryl. He smiled broadly and stuck his arms out, his belly popping out.

"What you think? Can finally have a bath, huh?" He laughed and returned to welding.

Daryl once more took the place of Alana's cane and guided her away, speaking in his voice that could be quiet and unsure at times. "Metal was just laying round. Figured could make a bathtub outta it. Doc said it'd be better for ya. Told Axel, said he'd help out, make one for Michonne. Said you both would probably like it." Alana said nothing until they had gotten back into their shared cell. Daryl saw the shine in her eyes and his panic returned. "You okay?"

Alana nodded quickly, smiling. She stepped forward as Daryl began to leave. He stopped and watched as she looked up to him, reaching out to cup his face. She pulled her hand away, seeing the small traces of soot on it. "Maybe you should use that bath first," she joked though her voice was shaky. Daryl did his best to smile through the panic that was still set within him.

He wanted to kiss her. To hug her. To let her know that things would be okay. But he wasn't sure if that was what she needed. So he told her to not go digging up any dirt, which earned him a small chuckle, and then left the cell. Feeling as if he was doing her a disservice by not showing his love for her, but fearing it'd only do more harm if he did.

**So instead of it being this chapter, the next one will be the overview of Alana's recovery. I'll likely jump from small event to small event to sum it all up and then we'll carry on with the story. **

**Trying to think of any questions I may have for you guys, but damn nothing pops to mind. I have the next few events planned out fairly thoroughly, so now it's just a matter of your reactions to all of it. **

**Again, thank you for the reviews! Keep them coming, they really help with getting this story written. Will try to have a new chapter ready for next week. The more awesome reviews you all submit the more I become determined to get you guys new material to read (: **


	82. Chapter 82

**Psst, guys. Hey, over here! Guess what…**

**I HAVE ANOTHER FUCKING CHAPTER FOR YOU GUYS!**

**Today was an off day; messed up my back so that ruined all plans. Spent the day sat up in bed and figured I might as well do something so I wrote out this chapter for you lovely readers. **

**If tomorrow is a lazy day for me as well, I'll try to knock out another chapter.**

**Now, onto the story! **

Tension continued to hang over the prison as the days went past. Everyone would look to that lone road, waiting for a strain of cars to come into view. For Woodbury to arrive. Rick, for the best that he could manage, tried to assure the group that for the time being they needn't worry about any sort of attack. And much as it irked him, he had actually gone to Merle for reassurance. If the Governor hadn't died from his wounds and did seek revenge, it wouldn't be coming any time soon.

"Bastard never got his hands dirty unless he felt like it," Merle had told Rick when pressed for information on the Governor. "Why ya think he wasn't with us when we found you lot? Rather be sitting pretty behind those big walls ordering us round."

It was true. On the occasions when he'd head out with groups to scout the area or to gather more walkers for the fights, he could always be found standing in the background, watching while everyone else ran about taking his orders. He had built himself a mighty tall pedestal and he had no interest in coming down. And no one challenged him. He was some sort of skewed version of a savior to them.

If the Governor was dead, Woodbury would not be coming after the prison group. They likely would have bickered over rule as Alexander's generals did after his death, falling to shards. And if the man was alive, he wouldn't allow anyone to take revenge before himself. The man's mind was a twist of dark alleys; he wouldn't rush this. He'd plan his actions slowly. But first, he'd have to find the damn prison group.

Merle told Rick that none at Woodbury knew about the prison, that he'd been the only one familiar with the area. Rick shared this information with the group, but still they worried. Looked to the road. Waiting.

As the days passed by, piling atop each other, the worry remained, but it began to fade at the edges. Perhaps the Governor was truly dead. While Rick was relieved to see some of the tension lift, paranoia still set within him. He never let his guard down. He looked over maps, marking the various roads that could ultimately lead to the prison. He'd spend moments outside, looking over the woods. Thinking. Planning. Stashes of weapons were moved from the cellblock to the entrance of every building on the prison property. Survival packs were placed in every car and a car was parked near to every building.

He'd Alice one evening, "If the Governor came here, could he take the prison?" They were alone in one of the halls as one returned from the showers.

Alice had halted, a bit unsure of what exactly to say. If the truth was better than attempted reassurance. She told Rick yes, the Governor could take the prison. Could break down those fences. "There was a National Guard station. You'd likely run out of ammo long before he ever did. And," she added hesitantly, "he has a moving truck. Two, actually. He'd send the men out in them, to bring back walkers. If he wanted…"

"He could run those fences down and let those walkers loose in here," Rick finished, nodding away. He wiped the droplets of water from his neck. Alice nodded, looking to the floor.

With Daryl having become a near constant at Alana's side, Rick turned to Heath and Lucas for aid. During the days he handed out new chores to most in the group, with the two young men overlooking everything. Walkers were never allowed to collect along the fences. Every road leading to the prison was scouted, some blocked in one manner or another—in ways that looked natural and not staged. The walkers that they had killed on previous outings were collected and discarded elsewhere. They recounted every route they'd taken and drove each one. Any walkers they had killed along those ways were dragged into the woods, hidden, collected and dumped out of sight.

When the group was done covering their tracks, Rick turned their attention to the woods around the prison. They began cutting down trees to construct _chevaux de frise_, walls of wooden spikes. Initially Rick had wanted to surround the entire prison with them, but then thought better of it, choosing to leave random openings in the wall to allow the group various chances of escaping aside from the road if the need arose. It took well over three weeks to finish the task.

In that and the other time that had passed, Alana continued to recover. She still walked with the cane, but no longer leaned so heavily upon it. The tenderness in her knee was not as great now and she could manage to wear a brace over it. Still, she required assistance in some matters. Alice or Andrea would aid her in taking a bath. The walls were tall and she could not manage on her own. When the tubs were first completed, Andrea had helped her in while Michonne could manage on her own. She then left and the two women soaked in silence. They never spoke about Woodbury or the Governor. Never spoke of the damage their bodies had taken on. Nor about what they'd do once they were fully healed. All these things were already known between the two of them. Michonne's determination to carry on drifted onto Alana. She didn't allow anyone to bring up the matter to her, would not discuss anything. She would not become nothing more than the act that was forced upon her and Alana felt the same. Michonne took aid when she needed it, but would not allow anyone to come forward unless she had first asked for assistance.

Alana, though she wanted the same, was not given the choice.

In those first days as Daryl began to care for her, she took it all with gratitude. She needed the help, the reminder that things could be repaired. And to see Daryl not shying away from her was a great comfort to her. And the proximity he kept to her before the others gave her a sort of pride. To see him no longer caring that others saw him. Could see that the Georgia redneck held compassion within him. Not even the nagging of Merle could falter Daryl for long. He'd make comments here and there concerning how he mothered over Alana, telling him to be a good wife and make him lunch as well. For the first few occurrences that twitch in Daryl could be seen. But then he'd overcome it. Either ignore Merle or tell him that he wouldn't have to be playing mother hen if Merle had managed to do his job right in the first place and not let Alana get hurt. Or he'd tell him he should have stayed up on that roof in the first place, then he'd still have his damn hand.

As the pain of her ribs lessened, Alana sought to become useful again. With Alice now at the prison, and having dealt with births before during her time as a nurse, Lori was well taken care of. Merle had taken her place at Daryl's side while killing walkers along the perimeter. Tending to the greenhouse meant she was joined by Hershel or Maggie. Or both. The horses were cared for by Carl and Glenn and Maggie. The only thing left to her was sitting up in the guard tower.

It wasn't much, but it gave her time to be alone, something that she slowly found herself relishing in. She carried a small guilt over that enjoyment because it came from not having Daryl at her side.

He meant well. He meant to fix things. As always, but with the weeks passing by and Alana finding herself becoming of some use, an annoyance began to arise at having so many things taken care of for her by Daryl. But he meant well, she would remind herself. She should let him have this and be thankful that he hadn't turned from her.

She still had not managed to allow her guard to falter greatly around him though. It had been almost six weeks and he'd not once embraced her, the last being that night in the guard tower when she'd recounted the events of Woodbury. He had not kissed her, not even a chaste placement upon her head. His touch only came to her as he helped her sit or stand or held a jacket open for her. The placement of a hand lithely at her shoulder as she climbed the stairs.

Daryl moved about her as if she were the Princes in the Tower and he Richard III, fearing that at any moment he would become the villain.

And here she was, seeking solace in the guard tower of the prison, where she could seclude herself from the others, but still watch as they moved about. It allowed her to remain part of the group, but detached, connected only by the string of stairs. The detachment was removed whenever Daryl was given a moment's reprieve. He would come and join her up there.

But he was not a connection to the rest of the group. His presence had become a confinement.

Still, Alana said nothing.

One evening, as the group sat came and went during dinner in the cafeteria, Rick spoke of sending a group out. Alana perked up at his words. The initial six weeks of recovery had already gone by. Her ribs now only ached dully, breathing coming easily to her, and the pain in the knee now subsided to a vague reminder. She walked with a slight limp, keeping her right knee straight from time to time as she stepped forward.

Daryl, though, still had not left her side.

"I talked with Merle," Rick had begun, wiping his hands off on a napkin as he stood. "There's still a lot left behind at the National Guard post that Woodbury has supplied themselves with. _If _the Governor does come looking for us, we need to be ready. And we are far from ready as it is. Those barricades won't do much against bullets." He wavered and looked over to the table that Carl and Lori sat at. "We've worked hard for this place. We have something good here." Rick nodded towards Merle as he referenced his words. "Governor doesn't make runs he doesn't have to. And he doesn't make any at night. I'm going to lead a group out, make for that post, take whatever we can, and then head back here. We'll hit the place at night. If Woodbury is expecting us, it'd being during the daytime. We won't be able to stay in radio contact back here. If we get caught, regular ones will let them know you're all near. The prison radios will be a straight giveaway. Merle and I will be leading the group. He knows the area, which roads lead to the post, which ones to avoid. I know many of you won't be happy with this, but I need as many of you on board for going as possible. I need enough people on watch while the rest of us gather supplies."

As the group discussed the outing, Rick pulled Alana aside.

"I know you want to come along, but I need you to stay back here," he told her.

"Worried I'll be a liability?" questioned Alana.

Rick sighed. "To a certain extent, yes. Your six weeks may be up, but that doesn't mean you should jump right back into the mess of things." Alana addressed the fact that Michonne was going along with the group. "She wasn't as bad off as you were. I know you want to contribute to the group, but right now you can do that by staying behind and making things are in order while we're gone."

Alana kept from shaking her head and allowing the frustration to show on her face. "Take it Daryl will be going then, if I'm in charge?"

"I need him to wrangle in Merle," Rick countered.

So, Alana thought, it would be Rick, Daryl, and Merle, along with Michonne, Glenn, Lucas, and Maggie. The rest would stay behind. She could have at least kept watch while they searched the National Guard post. Rick reminded her that they needed to keep quiet during this run. That meant no gun usage, even with silencers. That meant possible close quarters with walkers and while she was doing well physically, any strain could be a possible threat to Alana.

She relented, tired of hearing her own voice in her head and listening to Rick explain why he needed her to stay back. "Fine. I'll stay here. Make sure things don't go to shit."

The evening came prior to the group's departure. They planned to be gone for close to 48 hours and to return during the morning. While they gathered their rest for the night, Alana sat up in the guard tower. She had gone up there and taken over the second shift. She intended to remain until the group left.

She sat in her chair with a large and thick blanket wrapped around her, a thermos of hot tea on the table before her. Seeing movement from C-block, Alana sighed out of frustration as she saw Daryl coming towards the guard tower. He did not say a word as he entered, taking a seat near her. He grabbed the thermos and took a drink from it, made a face when he tasted the tea.

"Should get some rest, wake Dale, tell him to get his ass up here and cover watch," he told her.

"I think I can manage staring at the fields just fine." She was agitated. "I don't need a chaperon." Alana watched in dismay as Daryl leaned back in his chair, resting his feet up on the tabletop. Before realizing what she had done, she slammed her hand down, asking angrily, "Why can't you just leave me alone? I'm fine! I don't need you to keep doing everything for me! I can't even breathe without you first breathing the air for me."

At first Daryl said nothing to her, and then abruptly lowered his feet and stood. He could hear her sigh and scrape her chair back as she came after him. She tried to stand in front of him, blocking the door leading to the stairs. She began to apologize for her outburst, raising her hands before her. They pressed against his abdomen and Alana froze for a moment.

In that short moment, Daryl could see the terror that ran across her face. It was enough to allow Daryl a passing thought, that her hesitancy was the result of what he'd been fearing. She was seeing _him _in front of her. Not Daryl.

He took that moment of her frozen to push past her. He returned to the cellblock and fought to go back to sleep. It was all for nothing he thought; he couldn't fix her.

Alana sat in a daze up in the guard tower until Dale came to take over the final shift of the night. She said nothing to him, showed no sign of anything to him as she left, making her way slowly to C-block.

Entering their cell, Alana saw Daryl asleep on his side, his back to her. His backpack was stuffed and ready to go in the corner along with his crossbow. Alana rubbed her palms as she looked him over again, still feeling the warmth on them. She'd meant to apologize to Daryl for yelling at him. She knew better, she truly did. These past weeks he'd only been helping in the only way he knew how, by figuring things out along the way.

When she pressed her hands against him in an attempt to keep him from leaving, it had been fear that she felt, but Daryl mistook what for.

Alana stepped closer to the mattress, eyes drifting over Daryl. Heath and Lucas had set a fire in the cellblock earlier within a large tin garbage bin. Late into the night the warmth was still there. Daryl slept in a tank, the covers pushed down slightly. He moved slightly in his sleep, rolling onto his back.

There was the soft drop of a coat onto the floor and it woke Daryl. He turned his head to see Alana standing there. He sat up quickly, berating her. She stood there removing her clothing until she was covered only by the large shirt that had once belonged to Wilhelm.

"Ya crazy?" Daryl asked, reaching down for a hoodie, anything. He moved to pick up a spare cover and wrap it around her. He was halted as she reached forward, grabbing at his arms, speaking barely above a whisper as she said she was sorry.

He stood dumbfounded as she moved her hands, placing them back atop his abdomen as she had in the guard tower. Alana looked up to him and he could just see that fear in her once more through the darkness of the cell.

"Please," she spoke in a quiet tone as she stepped closer. Her hands drifted down to his, grasping them gently, and guided them up until they rested at her waist. When Daryl did not pull away and Alana had steadied her breath, she brought one of his hands to push her shirt up until she could feel his palm against her skin. She shuddered and lowered her face from him, but did not back away. "I don't need you to do everything for me…but I need you near me."

Her hands left his and glided over his arms and chest, lowering to his waist as she pulled slightly away. Daryl's breath caught and after a pause, he pulled Alana back towards him until she melded against his frame. He held gently onto her neck as he lowered his head and kissed hers. When she did not back away or flinch at his touch, he lowered further and kissed her cheek and then her jaw until he had found his way to her lips. Alana obliged as he tilted her head back and trailed over her throat, her arms beginning to cling to him. He came back up, kissing her again, gently pushing her mouth open. He moaned into her as his hand moved to her backside, pressing her into him. A hand clenched at his clothing and Daryl paused with worry, but as he tried to pull back to look her over, Alana held onto him only tighter. So he stepped back, bringing her with him and guiding her onto the mattress.

The covers were pulled over them as Daryl rested his weight above Alana. With one arm he propped his body up and with the other he brushed over her. Everywhere his hand moved her body rose up to meet him and she never unwrapped her arms from him, keeping him from never pulling too far away from her. She only relinquished her hold on him as her breathing had become erratic; she reached for hem of his tank and pulled upwards. Daryl removed it and returned his attention to her, pushing her shirt further up until it had been discarded. Alana arched her back enough for him to reach the back of her bra. As the cold air began to hit her skin, Daryl was soon pressed against her, offering her his warmth.

Alana hooked a leg at his waist and could feel him press against her. She shuddered. He moved against her and then slowed, allowing her the chance to move away, but when she didn't, he pushed himself up, reaching for the buckling of his pants. As he returned to rest above her he moved slightly onto her side. With one hand he kept her from turning her head from his. He quieted her calmly as the other drifted over her breasts and down her stomach. He pushed the fabric of the underwear aside and swallowed her moans as he ran his fingers over her. Her hips rose up from the mattress, she not wanting his touch to leave her. He pulled at the hem and the garment was removed as he repositioned himself above Alana. His mouth never leaving hers, Daryl pressed her thighs into the mattress and entered her slowly. He breathed out loudly as his pelvis pressed completely against hers. Alana rolled her hips and Daryl began moving above her. When his mouth left hers, he turned her face into his shoulder to mute the sounds that escaped her. He moved slowly, allowing Alana to feel every inch of him within her. As she met his slow thrusts, Daryl began to quicken the pace, but never the pressure, still frightened of hurting her. He pushed himself up slightly, seeing the ring he wore on his chain brushing between her breasts. Her own chain had bunched and fallen past her left shoulder. Balancing himself, he grabbed for both and held then in his fist as he felt her clench around him before his own release followed.

Daryl came to a slow halt above her, his breathing still eager. Tremors still traveled through Alana's body and he would shake as he felt them. He kissed her neck and removed himself from her, rolling onto his back. The hand that gripped their rings together let them fall as his fingers ghosted across her chest. Alana rested on her side, following after him. Daryl raised an arm and welcomed her into the nook of his shoulder as he had countless times before. Her right hand splayed against his stomach, feeling the trail of hair that vaguely started at his chest and carried on downwards. Alana felt at his scars and the indentation of his hips. His breathing had finally calmed and his body had relaxed when he felt her pressing into his side.

He began to protest that he hadn't it in him to go again, that he'd used much restraint to not rush or hurt her previously. Alana rose in an eased, slow motion, straddling his hips. Her hands roamed his chest and arms as she lowered to run her mouth over his neck. Daryl closed his eyes tightly and raised his arms above his head as she told him, "I just want to feel you." He pressed his palms against his forehead and breathed deeply.

Alana slid down to his waist and began to trail over his hips with her tongue. Daryl grunted and his hips bucked up towards her. He could feel her smile as she kissed his skin. Her breasts brushed against his member and he could feel as it and her nipples hardened when they brushed against again. Her weight disappeared from him for a moment and Daryl raised his head to see Alana grab hold of him and run her tongue along the underside. He slammed his head back against the pillow and cursed, doing his best to not buck his hips up. He clenched the sheets in one fist as her mouth took him fully in. She hummed and danced her tongue around him and Daryl reached with his other hand to grab at her hair, guiding her as she bobbed up and down. He was nearing another climax and then Alana's mouth was gone from him. She guided his member upwards, bringing herself to rest above it, feeling it rub against her center. Slowly, she started rocking back and forth over it, her own wetness covering him. Daryl gripped at her waist, urging her to move faster. He held back as long as he could before pulling Alana further up, enough so that he may enter her. She gasped but did not falter in her speed. Daryl guided her to roll her hips against him. Feeling her begin to shake, he sat up, capturing her mouth to catch the cries. He thrust up into her in short bursts. His member jerked within her and then his release followed.

Daryl remained sitting up, holding her to him. He kissed his way between her breasts up to her mouth before guiding her to lie down beside him. Neither held the energy or care to dress. They held onto each other under the covers and slept for the few hours that remained.

In the morning Alana awoke to see Daryl sitting on the edge of the mattress, dressing. She looked beside him and saw that he'd gathered a set of clothes for her. He looked over his shoulder as he heard her stir.

"Morning," he spoke quietly. It was still early.

As Alana sat up, holding the covers against her, she reached for the pile of clothes. Daryl purposely turned his back to her to allow her to dress. She was buttoning up a plaid long sleeve shirt—the one that Daryl had given her—when he turned to face her again. He moved so that she could step off from the mattress and collect her boots. She sat on the chair, doing up the laces. She finished and looked up to see Daryl come to stand before her. She smiled sleepily.

"Be back as soon as I can," he told her.

Alana nodded. "I know."

Breakfast was a quiet affair amongst the group. As it came time for departure, everyone headed outside as was routine. Axel sat up in the guard tower and waved those leaving off. Andrea and T-Dog managed the gates.

Alana nodded to Michonne, but said nothing. She in turn nodded as well. It was an unspoken knowledge that if they encountered the Governor, Michonne would finish what she had started. Rick came forward from Carl and Lori to embrace arms with Alana as if they were Vikings of old, checking one another for a hidden weapon.

"Take care back here," he said to her.

"Watch yourselves out there," she told him.

Merle voiced his agitation at everyone's slow procession. "Like a goddamned funeral," he muttered, hauling himself into the jeep he'd arrived in.

Daryl found his way over to Alana as he made for the vehicles. He hitched his crossbow further up onto his shoulder, biting at his thumbnail. Alana told him to come back without any chunks missing out of him and preferably no bullet holes either. It earned her a small quirk of his mouth. She stepped forward to embrace him with one arm, as she'd always done. He wrapped his round her shoulders, pulling her against him.

Still holding onto her, he asked in a low voice so that no one else would hear him, "We good?" Alana could hear the question echo in her head as _can we go back to before? Back to the rings, to the guestroom in the farmhouse, to the first night in the tent. _She nodded. "Good." Daryl pulled away, giving her one last look over before turning and making for the vehicles.

The cars started up and pulled away. Alana followed after them, standing in their wake as they exited the prison grounds. Though she began to walk away, to sort things out for the day, she continued to look back to the road, one hand playing at the chain round her neck. When the cars were out of sight, she turned fully away, dropping the chain and allowing the ring to rest atop her clothing for all the others to see.

Alana called over to Carl, beckoning him to her side. She slung her arm around his shoulders and he did the same to her. "Check the other cars, make sure everything is in place. Packs, weapons, keys. Make sure the buildings all have packs, too." Alana wanted to make sure all the repositioned packs were still in place after preparing for the National Guard run. Carl nodded. "Check the radios. Make sure everyone is carrying one." Carl nodded once more and began to part from her. Alana called out at the last moment, turning back to face him as he headed towards the first car. "And make sure everyone's carrying a weapon."

**What is people say? Ah yes, reunited and it feels so good! Until one has to leave to go raid a National Guard post. It still counts though damnit, it still counts! **

**Next chapter will complete this little trio. Originally this was all going to be one whole chapter, but obviously it would have been very, very long, or a ton of stuff would have been cut or rushed through. So I'm pleased that I opted to break things down into three chapters. **

**So now, question time!**

**Now that Daryl and Alana have made it over that rather ugly bump in the road that is their relationship, how do you lovely readers think Daryl will act? Think he'll remain keeping his affection private from the rest of the group? Perhaps slacken in his guard just a wee bit? After the events of Woodbury and these past chapters, what would your perceive as being the next step in their relationship? **

**And what about Merle? I do have some ideas of how his relationship with Alana will pan out, but what do you all think? Will he regard her as he does everyone else? Being a bit harder on her? Perhaps take it easier on her because of Daryl? There's a rather handful of ways it could play out. **

**And finally, my favourite question: What do you lovely readers think I have up my sleeve for the upcoming chapters? Any predictions? Will the group run into the Governor? Or will the Governor find the prison? Or, maybe, just maybe he's dead? **

**Let's see if there are any readers amongst you lot that can figure out my schemes (: **

**Thank you all for the reviews, the crazy amount of faves and follows. I still shake my head when I see the numbers. You people are amazing! **

**I'm going to get back to responding to reviews with this upcoming chapter as I used to do so in the past. If you would like a response to your reviews, please make sure to sign up with the site so that I can respond privately to each of you. For those that review as guests, I will try and remember to leave my responses at the start of new chapters (: **

**Now that you have gotten to the end of this update, go on ahead and wander on down below to leave your reviews and I shall begin work on the next chapter (: **


	83. Chapter 83

**Well this chapter certainly turned out longer than I had planned. Ended up cutting it in half. Let's not waste any time, get to reading!**

She knew they had, at the very least, twenty-four hours before the group would return. They had planned for a return in forty-eight, though everyone hoped that would not be the case. Still, it's what they had planned for. As the next day came along, none were surprised to see that Rick and the others hadn't returned yet. He'd shown Alana the route they would be taking. There was a large enough portion of it that was out of the way and so it was evident this run would be a slow one. Merle was leading them away from Woodbury, only to have them suddenly change directions and come up from the back to reach the location of the National Guard station. It was the reasoning behind being away from the prison for forty-eight hours. They hadn't taken many of those roads before, and so there was no possible way of knowing if they were even accessible.

On the morning of the second day, Alana sat in the cafeteria, running through a list of things to be done. The sun had barely begun to blink from under the horizon. Alana had headed out to the guard tower first. She looked over the fields while Dale sat in front of her.

"Just those few walkers out there," he'd told her, nodding in the general direction of four walkers that had made their way out from the woods. It being so early, no one was out yet and so the walkers were randomly making their way through the fields, not even facing the prison.

Alana then returned back inside to the cafeteria, a mug of coffee in her hands as she sat at one of the tables. The rest of the group slowly began to wake and a few wandered into the cafeteria. As Carl came in he fixed Lori a bowl of oatmeal and took it to her before returning and sitting with Alana.

"How's your mother doing?" Alana asked between sips of her coffee.

Carl nodded his head. "Alright. Getting tired real easy. Alice says she has less than a month to go. Wants her resting."

"I'm sure your mother's thrilled to hear that," Alana said with a smirk. She doubted Lori could go even half a day on bed rest in this place. "Alice keeping an eye on her?" Carl said that she was. "Good. That's good."

Andrea was seated with Hershel and Dale. As she passed while leaving, Alana stopped her.

"Grab T-Dog. Check the fences." She nodded and continued on. Alana then turned her attention back to Carl, gesturing with her mug to him. "Find Heath. Few walkers out in the fields. Sure they've noticed us by now. Take care of them."

Carl gave a curt nod and rose from the table to leave.

Alana left shortly after and made for the guard tower again. Axel had taken over watch. He sat back in his chair, feet propped up. "Well if it isn't the Little German," he said when she entered, giving a crackling chuckle. "What's on the agenda for today, huh?"

Alana didn't bother with taking a seat. She watched Carl and Heath out in the fields. Scanned over to Andrea and T-Dog walking the fences. Turning her own walkie on, she nodded over towards Axel's. "Keep the fields clear. Any walkers creep out, mind the woods."

"Expecting them back today are you?"

She nodded. "Better be back today." Alana stretched her braced right knee out. "Was getting used to being invalid." Axel laughed.

After clearing out the few walkers, Carl and Heath returned back into the prison and did not have to head back out. Axel kept his eyes to the treeline, but saw no movement. He'd turn around to the back of the prison, but all as clear. Even he had to give a sigh of relief. An easy day. It was exactly what they needed. Any bit of comfort to ease the tension of having half the group gone and the threat of Woodbury still looming overhead.

Alana felt as if she did not stop moving for the day. From the moment she'd woken, she was moving. When she actually stopped and stood still or took a chance to sit for a time, her mind was running every single gear; felt like she was still moving. It was a first for her, since Woodbury, being in charge of everyone and not just a small matter.

At the current moment, Dale and Hershel were in the greenhouse. Carl sat up in the guard tower with Axel while T-Dog and Heath were being overlooked by Andrea as they set to building a few more _chevaux de frise._ Alana had suggested setting them up near the gates; make it a bit more difficult for walkers to pile up there if a large group of them appeared.

Alana took the moment to sit and allow her brain to slow down. She found Lori in C-block, resting within her cell. Alice had been with her, but Alana said she should get some lunch for herself. "Eat. Stretch your legs out." Alana slid down the wall in the cell, legs sprawled out before her. "And I'll rest mine." Alice began to crouch, ready to look her over. Alana held a hand up and shooed her away. "I'm fine. Just sore. Haven't seen much action in a while." With reluctance, Alice bowed out and made her way to the cafeteria to prepare a small lunch for herself. Lori and Alana declined any for themselves.

Lori sat propped up on the mattresses, draped in covers. Even from under those layers the bump of her protruding belly was rather evident. She'd tied her hair back in a messy ponytail and wrapped a scarf around her neck.

"I'd ask how you're holding up," she said with a smile, "but I think you're supposed to ask me that." She chuckled quietly as Alana smiled back. She leaned forward a bit when Alana said nothing. "Well? How are you holding up?"

Alana looked at her hands folded in her lap and then back to Lori. "Decent? Just, wish sometimes I could shut my brain off." She sighed. "I couldn't believe how _tired_ I was yesterday, after it'd gone by."

Lori shrugged. "You were moving round quite a lot."

"Yeah, paranoid that shit would…hit the fan?" Lori nodded. "I know one thing, I will have no trouble sleeping tonight." The two laughed.

"You'll get the hang of things again. Just going to take some time," Lori informed her. "Honestly, I was a bit shocked Rick left you in charge. Not much to it, but…I'd be just as paranoid as you are. And with everything, that's more stress than one person can handle." Alana was staring at the floor, nodding off at Lori's words. The latter leaned forward to catch her attention. "But he wouldn't have left you back here if he didn't think you could handle it. I'm sure on the next run, whenever it is, they won't be needing as many people and you can have yourself some backup here."

Alana agreed and gave a minute smile. Nodding to Lori's blanketed belly, she took the topic of conversation off herself. "Just a month to go, huh?"

Lori chuckled sardonically. "Yeah. One month—less than a month." Alana asked if the baby was still doing well. "Alice says so. Looks like everything could go well. Baby is right side up at the moment."

"Her thoughts on cesarean?"

"She's assisted in them before, never was the one holding the scalpel of course. She can deliver the baby if it's natural, if not, I'll be needing you and Hershel. And Maggie." Lori scoffed. "I suppose anyone that can be spared." Alana nodded. "Alice said during the birth, if cesarean is needed, that there's a few who can do 'blood donations.'"

Alana told her that Maggie, Lucas, and herself were O+. They would be her three donors.

Lori thought on the impeding birth and all that could go wrong. And the knowledge that it would be a natural birth. She looked to turn the topic off herself. "Daryl seems to be doing well, with his brother here."

Alana shockingly had to agree. Merle turned out to be just as rough around the edges as she'd heard him to be. He got along just fine with Axel, but never failed to rub the others the wrong way with a comment made here or there. Yet, he said very little to her as far as crudeness went. Referring to her as Hitler was more rude than crude. Alana then recalled something from a couple weeks prior and scrunched her brow.

"He called me Linda." He laughed and laughed at the blank expression Alana had worn at the time.

Hearing this, Lori began coughing, being caught off guard at the random statement. Upon seeing Alana's confused stare, she then began to laugh, though she did what she could to stifle it. "That…may be my doing," Lori cringed, still smiling slightly. Alana awaited an explanation. "I was off in the kitchens getting something for myself and he came in. And he just, randomly asked what happened to Carol. 'No one here's telling the truth,' he said. I was nauseous that day, I did not feel like having to deal with him. He figured she 'off-ed' herself. He wanted to know why." He had already tried pushing Daryl on the subject, but he never said a damn word. Only got angry and agitated. That was enough to keep Merle asking. "He had all these outlandish ideas. Perhaps she'd broken a nail and died of despair or that she'd forgotten to do the dishes and we'd tossed her to the walkers. I was just annoyed…I may have blurted out some sensitive information."

Alana narrowed her eyes. "What information?"

In a quick breath, Lori spoke. "That she caught you enjoying his brother's dick." She winched and dared to take a glance over at Alana.

"And you said it just like that?" she asked in shock. Lori nodded.

"I wanted to throw him off his feet! You have it easy compared to the rest of us when it comes to how damn annoying he is." Lori looked to the side sheepishly. "We've all wanted to beat Merle at his own game. And I was having a bad day. I didn't even think about what I was saying." Alana stared hard at Lori, body tensed, and then slowly the fit of laughter began to roll over her. It relieved Lori enough that she was able to join in. "You should have seen his face," Lori said with a grin. "Went all dumb and then just started laughing and hooting. Didn't even ask or say anything else, just walked out." Lori asked if Daryl had made any mention of it.

"No," Alana told her, shaking her head. "If Merle did say something to him, he never brought it up with me."

Lori nodded. "He wouldn't, would he? I'm sure Merle said _something_ to him, but mustn't have been enough to push Daryl's buttons."

"Which is a relief. I was betting that he'd cause some sort of trouble here. I've honestly been waiting for Michonne to beat the shit out of him."

Lori chuckled. She'd thought the same as well. "He has an abundance of comments for everyone, that's for sure." Alana agreed. But Lori then paused and thought. "Except you," she wondered aloud. Alana was confused at the statement. "Merle has no care for 'manners,' will say whatever is on his mind. Won't shy away from saying what he thinks of you. He's said things about all of us. Except you." Alana said that she was not immune to his little comments. "No, you're not, but he never says anything…rude _about_ you. It's always when you're there in the room; he says it right to your face."

Alana was quiet for a moment and then smirked at the realization. "I'm sure Daryl has something to do with that." It was the only explanation.

Lori scoffed. "Must be. You know, those first days when you got back, must have been the morning of the…second day?" Lori waved a hand. "It was morning, that's all I have. But, one of those mornings, I passed Daryl heading into A-block. I was coming to check on you. And I saw him, his hands busted up a bit. Rest of that morning, when I'd see him, he was always clenching his fists. I think that he took another round to Merle. When I finally saw Merle, well he looked a bit haggard to say the least."

"So…beating obedience into someone is a Dixon tradition?" Alana asked, eliciting a laugh from Lori, followed by a small grimace.

"Pretty much."

"I'm glad Merle was gone when you and Wilhelm found us. I don't think Daryl would have react the same way towards you if he wasn't." Alana smiled, saying that she'd heard many tales from Dale concerning the group's time outside of Atlanta. Lori recalled that time quickly, though the span of time and faces were hazy. "It was more like we were a handful of tiny groups all clustered together, playing at surviving. Much as we tried to work together, things fell apart so easily." Lori then smiled. "But I remember, Merle and Daryl were always the ones going out to hunt. Andrea and her sister would fish. Merle, he really was just concerned with feeding himself. He'd prepare his meals and that was it. Daryl, though, he'd insult you and at the same time be handing whatever critters he'd caught. He looked out for us from the start." Lori then sighed, pulling the covers up around her a bit more. She thanked Alana for their small talk and told her to return to her 'watchdog duties.' "I'm sure that floor is freezing you right up. And your mind is screaming to get back into motion."

Now that she thought on it, Alana did feel the itch to get up and moving once more. She left and headed to the cafeteria where she joined Andrea and Dale for a small lunch. T-Dog had gone up into the guard tower with Axel and Heath was tending to the horses. Alice was last seen speaking with Hershel in the greenhouse and Carl had gone to join his mother.

Alana sat back while Dale and Andrea chatted on random topics, listening in from time to time.

"What month are we in?" Andrea asked as Dale had begun to talk about winter ending. Alana had stopped keeping track long ago; that'd been something that Wilhelm did for the two of them.

After thinking it over, Dale said, "Early, mid-December perhaps. Hershel will know for sure. He's been keeping track." He leaned back in his chair. "That means…we have maybe two more months of this cold. Probably more like just one, then it'll start warming up. By the start of March we should stop freezing at night."

Alana groaned. "It's easier to put layers on in the cold than it is to take them off in the heat." Dale chuckled at her comment.

Andrea only shook her head, watching to the two of them. "I notice how you both avoided even mentioning Christmas."

"Well," began Alana, "that was for a reason. Thank you for brining up our less than desirable situation. Now we'll all have to go find new houses to raid for presents."

"I would settle for a turkey dinner," Dale spoke with a smile. "With as many of the fixings as possible."

Andrea snorted. "I'd be fine with chicken. Long as it isn't squirrel or rabbit, I'll be happy."

Alana had finished her cup of soup and looked down to the empty bottom of it, grumbling, "Now I'm hungry. Again." Dale and Andrea laughed.

The laughter was cut short as Alana's radio crackled. She picked it up from the table quickly, all trace of laughter gone from her face. Heath's voice broke through the beat of static.

"Alana? You got a minute?"

She answered readily. "What's going on? Are they back?"

"No," replied Heath. A hint of excitement entered his voice. "But you better come out here. And quietly. Group of deer just came out from the woods. East of the road. Making their way round the prison. Bet you could take one down."

"There's a couple stragglers," T-Dog added from his own walkie as he watched up from up in the guard tower. "Come out real slow."

When Alana looked up from the walkie, Andrea and Dale stared expectantly at her, urging her to hurry and grab one of the sniper rifles and head outside. There were fewer than ten deer when she made her way outside. They were already making their way towards the woods, but were still within shooting range. Alana came up alongside the back of the garage where she met Heath. He didn't say a word, only smiled and gestured for her to get close to the fences. Without any other choice, Alana had to lay herself down on the ground and position the rifle between the links in the three fences. She picked out a medium-sized doe that was positioned a few feet away from the others. The deer staggered at the first shot, attempting to flee with great difficulty. Alana quickly fired off another round and the animal crumpled into a heap. The rest of the deer had already scattered off into the woods, glimpses of them between trees no longer visible.

Alana pushed up herself up, hearing hurried steps behind her. Heath wrapped his arms around her shoulders and began laughing. "I'm having a deer burger tonight!" he proclaimed. He grabbed his radio to inform the others that Alana had nabbed their prize. Saying that he'd meet her at the gates, Heath headed into the garage to grab a pole and rope.

Coming round to the front of the prison, Alana took a bow from the waist as Axel had come out from the guard tower with T-Dog and were applauding. She shouldered the rifle and kept on towards the gates. Heath caught up with her quickly and the two began opening the gates. Carl and Andrea joined them, closing the gates once the two were on the outside.

"You know how to skin a deer?" Heath asked Alana while they walked alongside the outer fence.

She shook her head. "Something tells me they're messier than squirrels." Heath laughed at her, saying he'd tell Daryl to make sure she helped out with the cleaning later.

When they approached the deer, Heath gave out a low whistle, commenting that they should make some jerky with whatever they didn't eat. "Tough luck, Bambi."

Alana corrected him. "Aunt of Bambi. I already ate Bambi." Heath only laughed once more at her words. He dropped the pole from his shoulder and handed the rope over to her. The two crouched down and began positioning the deer so that they may tie it up onto the pole to carry back to the prison.

Heath tied the legs together while Alana held the pole in place. "They'll be in for a surprise when they get back, seeing this all set up, ready for them," he commented. With the deer tied, he stood and looked over the field, groaning. "Should have brought a car." He looked back down to the deer. "I hope you taste delicious," he said to the deer.

Together they lifted the pole and rested it over their right shoulders, beginning the slow trek back to the prison.

"Oh! Hold it!" Heath said, quickly stopping. "Forgot the walkie." He'd set his down when they had reached the deer. Following after him, Alana crouched as he crouched to pick the walkie up.

As he was shoving it back into his jacket, both his and Alana's crackled into life. "Two walkers, west of the road," came T-Dog's voice.

Heath mumbled under his breath while Alana radioed back. "They're not getting my deer." Alana shot him a glare over her shoulder, best that she could. "Okay, alright. Our deer."

Alana glanced between the buildings of the prison, looking for the road. The head of the deer rocked into her back as Heath had continued to walk. Without even speaking to him, Alana grabbed her walkie.

"Are you seeing this?" she asked. Alana turned back to Heath. "Drop it. Just drop it!" She let the pole slip from her shoulder as Heath came to stand beside her, looking between the buildings.

"Get back in here now," Axel radioed back. The others were coming in on their own radios, wanting to know what was going on. Axel replied back to all of them. "Herd. Goddamnit. Probably followed the fucking deer. Alana, girlie, get back in here. Now."

Alana and Heath had not moved. The latter radioed, asking, "How many?"

"Damn it guys," answered T-Dog. "Too many. Now get back!"

They could climb the fences, Alana thought. Throw their jackets over the barbwire. But there were three fences to climb. Climbing even just one and running to the front would draw attention. Out of frustration, Alana kicked the deer.

"We have to make a run for it," she said to herself before turning to Heath. "Pick it back up. If they get too close, we'll use it as a distraction." Heath nodded, bending with her to shoulder the deer again.

They ran as fast as possible. Heath huffed. "Can you make it?" he asked, seeing the tension in Alana as she stepped each time with her right foot.

Between breaths, she answered. "I don't have a choice. Keep running."

Voices came over their walkies, but neither answered them. T-Dog was telling everyone to stay put. Dale radioed, concerned over the gates. Axel replied, saying that no one come outside until Heath and Alana were at the gates. Draw as little attention as possible. The voices continued to go back and forth. Alana and Heath ignored all of it, hearing nothing but their hearts beating wildly in their heads.

Much as Alana wanted to stop dead once cleared to the side of the prison, her feet kept her moving. The herd must have been as large as the one that had wreaked havoc at the farm. Perhaps it was the same herd even. The wind rushing past them blurred the noise, but as the walkers neared, the mixture of growls and snarls crept into Alana's ears. She wouldn't look at them. Only kept running.

"Drop it now!" Heath hissed to her. The time it had taken them to reach the front of the prison had allowed the walkers at the head of the herd to reach them in turn. They swung the deer as best they could and rushed up to the gates. T-Dog and Carl were there, hurrying to open the gates.

Heath constantly looked over his shoulder. There were only a few yards between them and the walkers. While the deer had served to deter some of them, the rest still followed. Alana cursed and turned around, taking aim with her rifle and firing until she was out of bullets. But the walkers just kept coming. Heath came forward, striking down those that he could with the machete he had been carrying.

T-Dog and Carl were calling out to them. The gates were open, but only just. Heath pushed Alana through. T-Dog was trying to push the gate closed from the end. Alana ran the short distance to help.

"Why the fuck…they gotta be so heavy?" he asked in a strained voice. "Back! Get back!" The walkers were upon the gate, pushing their weight against it and attempting to reach through the links.

"Guys! It's too late! Just get in," Carl yelled at them. There was no longer a reason to remain quiet.

Heath pulled Alana by the shoulder, grabbing onto T-Dog as well. The walkers lunged out towards them as they sidestepped every which way to make it through the second and first gates. At that point, they all pulled out the guns they carried, firing off shots, ignoring the gun blasts that echoed off the prison.

Alana took shaky breaths, stepping slowly away from the opened gates. "There's no way out," she whispered, raising her hands to her head.

"Lockdown!" Carl shouted into his radio. He grabbed Alana by the wrist and led her to the guard tower with the others. They, along with T-Dog and Heath, huddled in the stairwell of the tower.

"Is anyone near A-block?" a frantic voice called over on the radio. Alice. "Anyone! Alana, where are you? I need you?" Alana fumbled for Carl's radio and called back. "Lori's having contractions, I need you in here, now! Please!"

T-Dog had ran up to the top of the guard tower, looking over the prison grounds. He shouted back down to them from the doorway. "They're filling the place out, there's no way."

Alana stared blankly at Carl for a moment, not knowing what to do. His eyes darted from her as the radios crackled again.

"Hold on little German, I'm coming for you," spoke Axel, grunting as he lifted something from his end.

"Where are you?" Alana asked.

"Greenhouse. Made a run for it, grabbed us some more fancy weapons. And, I got a car outside. Nurse Ratchet, you tell Lori to hold on now. Bringing Alana to you guys."

Alana began nodding, thoughts rushing through her. "You stay here," she said to Carl. "Take out as many as you can. I'll check in on your mom." He nodded. She looked to T-Dog who nodded as well. He'd stay there with him.

Heath took a step down from the stairs. "I'll come with. Walkers are gonna swarm that car when he pulls up." He held his walkie up. "Everyone stay where they are, don't make any noise. Is everyone safe?" They were. Hershel, Dale, and Andrea were in C-block. "Good. Just stay put. If you can reach any windows on the upper levels, away from doors, take out as many walkers as you can."

The roar of Shane's car breaking in front of the guard tower reached them and then gunfire. Axel yelled for Alana to come out. Pushing the door open, Heath led the way outside, firing off at the walkers still nearby. T-Dog and Carl pulled the door shut quickly and returned to the top of the guard tower. The car would draw the walkers' attention. Alana and Heath dove into the backseat of the car as Axel peeled away, swerving left and right to avoid walkers.

The walkers had spread out on the prison grounds, thinned, but still a threat. A large portion was still trying to get past the gates. Heath radioed for Alice to get the doors open for them. She was there, waiting to do so. She faltered back a moment, seeing the walkers that were already coming towards the doors. Alana jumped out from the car.

"Give me the keys," Heath said to Axel.

Alana turned, nearly in A-block. "What? What are you doing?"

Heath had grabbed the keys. Looking towards the gates, he said, "They'll keep coming through. I'll block the gates with the car and make a run for the guard tower." He took a swipe at an approaching walker. "Just get in there!"

Axel grabbed Alana and hauled her into the hallway of A-block as the roar of the car came back to life and Heath could be heard driving away. The doors were shut and locked.

Her head was such a chaos of noise and thoughts that it all meddled together to form an eerie static. Approaching the infirmary, Alana took a deep breath.

**Is it wrong that I'm here cackling like an old hag and rubbing my hands together? Sometimes I feel evil, real evil. And it just feels damn good.**

**One quick question! When would you all prefer to get updates? I had thought either Sunday or Monday.  
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	84. Chapter 84

**So, had to rewrite this chapter and this is only the first half. Went to go upload the new chapter and couldn't find the damn document. No idea if I labeled it wrong, saved it wrong, didn't save it at all. Whichever way it is, had to write it all over again. So instead of making you guys wait longer while I try to remember everything, I'm just going to post this first half. Will aim to have the next half up within two days. **

Voices still came over on the radio, but Alana paid them no attention. Axel replied back when it was needed. Alana stood behind Alice, doing as she was asked. They were checking the time between Lori's contractions.

"Fuck," Alana cursed suddenly, having run through her thoughts. She stepped over to a drawer, opening it and looking for a flashlight. "Fucking idiot!" Seeing Alice and Axel look at her quizzically, Alana elaborated. "The generators, they can close the gates from up in the guard tower." It should have been the first thing she thought of, Alana thought. Use the generators and close those gates. That was the whole reason the silly things were so difficult to move; they were meant to be closed electronically. The others hadn't thought it either, they'd all gone so long without power at hand; flipping a switch wasn't the first then that popped into their minds anymore. She shook her head, pointing at Lori. "And we need them on anyways, we planned to turn them on for her." Alana was grabbing her walkie when Axel came forward, saying he'd go. She'd be needed there with Lori; she agreed. Still, Alana pressed the button down on her walkie. "Heath? Back off the gates, we'll turn the generators on and close them." Static and silence. "Heath?"

T-Dog's grave voice replied to her. "He didn't make it."

Alana felt cold. Lori's cries shook her from her stillness, not allowing her to drift away though the need to cave in on herself even just a tiny bit remained present. Axel was already leaving the infirmary, making for the generator room. He carried his walkie with him and his booming voice could be heard echoing down the hallway. He was telling the others to hold tight and that when he gave the signal, to seal the prison blocks. A, B, and C-block all had checkpoints throughout them with a security room that controlled that particular section. Those holed up in C-block were to lockdown the cellblock and retreat. If the walkers were able to get through the front doors, the steel bars of cellblock would never let them pass. Axel knew he didn't have any time to waste and so he only planned to secure the infirmary once he returned; there'd be no time to make it to the front of A-block and lockdown the cells.

In the infirmary, Alice was saying something to Lori and then pushing at her stomach while Alana listened in on the radio to Axel's instructions and to the others. Her eyes had dulled as she heard their voices, but not Heath's. "Baby's turned the wrong way," Alice said, wiping at her brow. "Was fine this morning. I can try and turn it. This is going to hurt."

It was not long before Axel's voice came over the radio again, telling the others to close the gates and secure the cellblocks. His heavy footsteps were heard rushing down the halls as the place begun to hum with electricity.

"Alana!" Alice shouted after trying to gain her attention. Alana startled, turning to look to her. "Help me set things up."

Alice had already removed Lori's jeans and covered her with sheets. She shook from the pain and cold that hit her. Alice prodded at her stomach, pressing her palms against it. Alana rushed over to flip on the lights in the infirmary, plugging in the equipment they had after bringing it all to surround Lori's bed. It was all very basic, nothing fancy or particularly special. As Alice kept trying to reposition the baby, Alana set up the heart monitor, connecting it to Lori. The muffled _pop_ of guns going off from C-block and the guard tower reached their ears in the moments of silence.

Axel returned to the infirmary as Alana ordered him to her side. There had been a loud _clang_ as he sealed off the infirmary from the checkpoint room.

"Bring me the syringes," she told him as she searched through the cabinets, grabbing a stethoscope. She placed the end against Lori's stomach and looked to her watch, timing the heartbeat of the baby. Alice continued to attempt to turn the baby head first. Lori's cries came to Alana as muffled, but loud, while she searched for the heartbeat.

None of them spoke, each to their task, until Lori began shaking her head. Alice had been working at turning the baby for ten minutes, but it would not take. When she removed her hands, the baby would begin returning to its original position. It should have only taken two, perhaps three, minutes.

Alana pulled the stethoscope away. "There's pressure on the cord. Heartbeat is slowing." She looked to Alice forlornly. The heart monitor attached to Lori beeped at a pace that neither liked.

"You have to do it." Lori turned her head to the side to see Alana, who had backed away. Her hand was fisted and raised to cover her mouth. "This is the only way it's going to happen," said Lori as she fought to calm her breathing. Axel had slowly come forward, pushing a cart, the top lined with various syringes and vials of liquid. He'd put gloves on before touching any of it. He stood there, hands held out from his sides, face held together by a frown.

The gunfire from outside could still be heard. It wouldn't matter if it continued or stopped. Wouldn't matter if the others suddenly returned and all the walkers were killed. None of it would change what was happening there in the infirmary.

Not looking to Lori, Alana pulled a cart closer. It held jars and tubes and needles atop it. Hershel had crafted the small things. Blood would be collected in the jar then transfused into Lori. The prison was a simple country prison. It had been a shock that they even had x-ray equipment, no matter how ancient it was. What they did not have that was needed at that very moment was a ventilator machine and a proper anesthesia machine. Alana looked to Alice and after hesitating, nodded. With a worry in her eyes, Alice nodded back.

"Grab the mask," Alana told Axel, pointing to a lower shelf on one of the carts. It was a bag valve mask; it'd be the only way to keep Lori breathing. Alana turned to Alice, preparing her own arm to insert a needle. She taped it down, clamp in place on the tube to keep the blood from flowing just yet. She made sure the cart that held the jars was close enough to Lori's bed. "Soon as I have the baby out, I need you to stitch her back up. Once I make the incision I'm removing the clamp, we won't have much time." Alice nodded, preparing the other needle for Lori and taping it down in her arm. Alana told them every other little detail she could think of. Every step and precaution they needed to take. It would possibly help, once the operation had begun, to keep them on track.

With nothing else left to say, she reluctantly turned to Lori, trying her best to smile though it felt sick upon her face. "It'll be over in no time. And Alice has done thousands of stitches. You'll be just fine." Her tongue was rotten from the words. Frightened denial was all she had left. Alice held out a syringe with the anesthesia in it. Hershel and Alice had determined the dosage, though neither could be sure of its safety without the correct equipment to monitor Lori's condition during the surgery. "You'll wake up in a few hours. Before then we'll give you something for the pain."

"Don't you wanna say something to Carl?" Axel asked quietly, looking over to one of the radios.

Lori shook her head. "We don't have any time for that. Afterwards. I'll tell him he's a big brother." She did her best to smile and then held her arm out.

Without a word Alana injected the anesthesia into Lori, placing the syringe down on a cart. When Lori had lost the strength to keep her head up, Axel came forward, putting the bag valve mask in place and squeezing it at the pace that Alice instructed.

"We have to be quick," Alana said, not looking at Alice or Axel. She prepared the area, making sure everything was within reach. Turning to Alice, she saw that the needle and stitching was ready at hand. The bed beside them held numerous blankets, ready for the baby.

Lori's pulse was steady as the heart monitor became the only noise in the large room. Alana took a slow breath and held the scalpel against Lori's skin.

The movement was quick and fluid. Without care, Alana tossed the scalpel aside, moving her hands into the incision. She had not even taken note of when she'd removed the clamp from the tube attached to her arm. Suddenly she was covered in a sweat that froze her, but she continued to move along in her task, knowing she didn't have much longer. The child was small and red and did not cry out. But Alana continued to move.

Her body felt hectic, like it was rushing to catch up with something. Alana could hear Alice speaking, but none of it registered with her. There was a faint stinging sensation on her arm; Alice had removed the needle, connecting the jar to Lori and hanging it on the IV stand. Axel continued to manage the bag valve mask, his left foot taping slightly to keep a steady pace.

The baby was no longer in her arms, Alana could barely realize. And she felt so very heavy. Was she still standing? No, no she was on the floor. Cries came from beside her. There was the baby, wrapped up in the blankets, unable to move.

Who was shouting? Someone was shouting. Alana could not determine if it was Alice or Axel. Or was it both? Her head lolled back and she could see the IV stand, the jar of red hanging upon it, stark against the white lights above.

So much blood.

Alana closed her eyes, oblivious to the world.

Alice grabbed at Alana's wrist, checking her pulse, swearing under her breath and winching at the cries of the baby girl. Axel asked what had happened to Alana.

"She lost too much blood too quickly. Filled that whole jar!" Alice shook her head. "That's certainly half of her blood in there," she said while pointing a finger at the IV stand. Alice attempted to pull Alana up from the ground.

"What does she need?" Axel asked in a voice that was calm. He repeated the question to Alice. "Doc! You're the doc now. So, what does she need? 'Cause you gotta hurry up with whatever it is and fix Lori up over here, you follow me?" With a pale face, Alice nodded. "Now, best to get her up on a bed, yeah? So, why don't you come over here and I'll get her on that bed there. We'll stick the baby between her legs."

On the count of three, the two switched places. Huffing, Axel scooped Alana up and settled her down on the bed. He spread her legs apart slightly and stuck the bundle of blankets the baby was held in between them.

"What's next, Doc?" he asked, his stance ready to move.

Alice wiped at her brow. "Bring that other monitor in, from the x-ray room. Hook it up and grab another bag, too. We have to stabilize her or else she could go into shock." Axel nodded and hurried off. Before hooking things up, he pulled the bed closer to Lori's. He'd have to manage both bag valve masks.

Alana's monitor called out slowly as Axel operated the mask. He reached out, stepping into Alice's spot and took over Lori's mask as well. "Now, there anything else we can do for her?"

Alice shook her head. "She needs blood. Maggie and Lucas aren't even back yet. There's fluids, but…"

"She worse off without them fluids?" Axel asked. After a thought, Alice shook her head. Without all the components and proper equipment, it mattered little. "Alright then, go get me that chair over there and then you fix up Lori here, yeah?" The gunfire continued outside and Alice balked. "None of that matters right now. Ain't nothing they can do for us. We gotta do the best we can by them," he told her, nodding to Lori and Alana and the baby. "Cover her up with some blankets and let's finish this up."


	85. Chapter 85

**Okay, first off, apologies for the delay. Wanted this to be up last week, but got sick for two days and that put me behind on work. A week later, and I'm still behind on work and it just keeps piling up. **

**Secondly, this was supposed to be twice as long, but I had to cut much of it out because I felt that it just moved too quickly. Chapters 84 and 85 were meant to be one piece, but the original was lost so I had to rewrite it all. I couldn't get the second half back to where I wanted it, so in the end I decided to take things in a different route. The endgame is still the same, it's just a different path I'm taking to get there now, which means I'm really having to rethink things over as I write since none of this was planned before. **

It was an uneasy shock to not come across anyone from Woodbury. Though none voiced it, there had been part of them that was sure Merle was setting them up somehow. But they were now on their way back to the prison, having raided the National Guard station. Merle had gone on and on about how little they'd actually taken from it thus far. And he hadn't been lying. It had looked as if the Guard had planned on overtaking the countryside with the amount of weapons and ammunition there. There were various firearms, gear, ammunition, grenades, and first aid kits. There were military vehicles, even a tank. Much as they had wanted to collect longer, Rick had them in and out quickly. He wouldn't risk being found.

Their return to the prison was delayed though as they came upon a cluster of walkers which blocked their way. Not wanting to risk being followed, in case they were part of a larger group, Rick had them backtracking.

It was some time in the afternoon when they finally came upon familiar roads and knew that they were nearly back. Rick led the two cars, Daryl and Merle with him. The latter had said little on the return drive; he'd chosen to sleep in the backseat. Rick was thankful for the silence.

As they turned onto the road that led to the prison, Daryl reached to the backseat to slap at his brother's shoulder, telling him to wake up. Merle grunted and kept his eyes closed, muttering that they weren't there yet. Daryl turned back around, the displeased look on his face turning to one of distaste.

A few walkers were on the road. The cars easily avoided them and continued on. Coming to the last turn before the road would lead straight and onto the prison, more walkers littered the road. Rick gripped the steering wheel and pushed himself up in his seat. Daryl did the same, slapping at Merle once more, this time with more force. Still they were able to make their way around the walkers without fear of becoming surrounded, moving the cars along at a slower pace.

The prison came into sight. Along with the walkers that were scattered around and within it. Not realizing, Rick had stopped the car completely. Lucas had stopped behind him, their car slightly turned so as to see the field in front of them. There were numerous fallen walkers within the prison though many more still moved about, collected up against the doors to the guard tower and other buildings. One car was parked off towards the left side of the prison along the gates, dead and still standing walkers around it. The entrance was wide open.

Lucas pulled his car up alongside Rick's, but he did not look to him. Lucas honked his horn. Brought from his panic, Rick rolled the window down. "We gotta get to everyone inside!" Lucas shouted over to him.

Rick nodded stiffly. Before placing his foot back on the gas, he looked to Daryl. The man sat rigid in the passenger seat, face grim.

WDWDWDWD

The radios crackled to life, over and over. The others, calling out to Alana and Alice and Axel. But none ever answered back. The roar of cars began to fill the air and gunfire went off repeatedly. Again, the radios raged awake with calls out to them. It was not until the call went out that only a few walkers lingered and that it was clear did Alice slowly rise from her chair and make the heavy walk out of the infirmary. She unlocked the checkpoint, the cell bars clanking as the lock was released. Returning to the infirmary she lowered herself back in to the chair, hunching over and shutting her eyes tight.

The soft noise from the doors opening reached them as the footsteps began to grow louder and louder. Rick could be heard yelling out to them. Daryl as well. Alice looked over to Axel with failure. Sadly, he nodded to her and Alice stood, stiffening her back as she made for the entrance once more. She reached the security room at the end of the hall; she passed it and pushed open the unlocked bars. At the look upon her face and how she lowered her head to hide it, Rick and Daryl, along with others, slowed. All went pale at the sight of blood that covered her upper body.

She shook her head, stepping aside. "I'm sorry."

The panic rose in them. Rick and Daryl pushed their way past her, crashing into the infirmary. Andrea remained behind, trying to hold Alice up as she began to slide to the floor against the wall.

Their hearts constricted and for a moment they could not breathe. The heart monitors were unattached and unplugged, haphazardly shoved away from the beds. Neither man could speak or move. Axel spoke in a lowered tone, "She fought real hard. Real hard." He looked down at his feet. "But the baby…" He looked down to the bundle in his arms, keeping it tight to his chest as the baby attempted to squirm about. "Baby girl is doing just fine." His eyes drifted over to Alana. She was lying on one of the beds, pale and unmoving. A cart was next to her, the remaining blood having been transfused back into her. Alice found her voice long enough to explain, from the entrance, that she'd passed out from giving too much blood. But then Lori hadn't made it and so she'd focused on Alana instead. She was stable, having been given fluids as well. It was just a matter of her waking up now.

A sob broke from Rick as his knees nearly gave out. He breathed heavily, looking to the still form of Lori. The valve mask had been removed, blankets pulled up to her shoulders. A thin trail of blood ran out from the side of her head. A bloodied knife lay on the floor below.

"The anesthesia began to wear off and she woke up," said Alice, her words soft and fragile. "She went into shock…there was nothing I could do." Alice thought of the others. "No one else knows."

Rick came forward until his body rested against the bed Lori lay upon. Axel remained at the head of the bed, holding onto the baby girl. Rick had not once looked at her.

Voices were heard within the hall; Andrea moved to stop the others from coming any further. Axel looked over to Alice and Daryl. With a nod from the former, Axel began to move away, taking the baby with him. Daryl moved cautiously towards the bed that held Alana. Carefully he scooped her up. He looked over his shoulder at the entrance, seeing Rick huddled on the floor beside Lori's bed, feeling bile rise in his throat. He was grateful it wasn't Alana that lied that cold and still.

Making their way down the hall and out from A-block, the small group passed Michonne. She walked quietly beside Carl. No one could bring themselves to look at him.

The walkers had been taken care of, though it had been no easy feat. Bit by bit, the story of what had transpired at the prison was coming together. T-dog and Carl had had the clearest view of everything, but only the former was speaking. When Rick and the others had arrived, they'd known, just from Carl's shadowed face that something had happened, something more than what they could see.

T-dog relayed that the herd had shown while Alana and Heath were outside the gates. They'd turned the generators on. Closed the gates, in hopes of controlling the number of walkers coming through. But when contact was lost with Alana and the others, they had to figure things out on their own. With the walkers building against the fences, it was only an amount of time before they'd give way. So the gates were fully opened. The walkers had not been able to break into any of the buildings, except the one that held the two horses; the doors had not been locked and the animals made such a ruckus that it became their doom.

"Heath tried to take them out," T-Dog spoke. "Trying to buy us some time. It happened fast and…we weren't ready." The car had gotten stuck as it'd gone over walkers that had already fallen. The others had watched as he was pulled from the car before a single shot rang out and he no longer moved.

Daryl did not remain behind to hear anymore. He continued to C-block, making his way through the corpses that were strewn everywhere. When he and the others had arrived, they'd remained outside the prison fences, drawing the attention of the walkers. Through the maze of the fields, they were able to minimize their numbers long enough to begin making a dent. None were sure how long it'd taken, at least an hour, perhaps two, before the walkers were far too few to be of any threat.

He didn't know what the others were doing, likely dealing with the bodies, and didn't bother to find out. He'd taken Alana to their cell and did his best to clean her up. He changed her clothes and did what he could to wipe her down, get as much blood as he could off of her. The blankets were layered atop her and Daryl sat on the mattress beside her, his fingers at her wrist. Her pulse was steady and after some time a bit of colour had begun to come back to her skin. Lucas had stopped by, just barely pulling the sheets back from the bars. He kept his eyes from locking onto Daryl's or turning to Alana. They were rimmed in redness. He asked if Alana needed more blood. Daryl had told him that she did not. Hesitating for a moment, Lucas nodded and left, heading back outside. He'd wrapped Heath's remains in a blanket and carried them over to the other graves.

Hearing his brother approaching, Daryl was prepared to ignore him. At first the older Dixon had only stood at the entrance to the cell. He then asked, with no subtlety, "She gonna kick it?" Daryl shook his head, not once looking up to Merle. "They give her any blood?" Daryl told him just her own, once Lori no longer needed it, being dead. Merle nodded. And then walked away. Daryl looked to the spot his brother had occupied for a moment before returning his watch to Alana.

When Alana awoke, Daryl kept his face from betraying everything that he knew.

For a few seconds she just lied there under the blankets. Once her bearing had returned, she pushed herself up quickly, seeing that she was in the cell and no longer in the infirmary. She looked wildly to Daryl, brow furrowed. Her breath began to come quickly. The question was at the back of her throat, being pushed forward by others. The way Daryl could not hold her stare for very long caused them to claw their way back down her throat until she choked on them. Slowly, Daryl told her what he and the others had come upon. What had transpired in the infirmary.

"Ya did what you could."

Alana shook her head. "I passed out," she said to herself and then more loudly, with distaste.

A cry rose inside the cellblock and Alana looked sharply to Daryl. He told her, "Maggie's got the baby. Rick…he's still in A-block." Alana asked of Carl, but Daryl would only tell her that he'd done what he needed. Carl had not stayed long with his father in the infirmary. He'd come out, asking Dale where they were putting the bodies of the walkers. With unease, Dale told him and watched as Carl walked away. No one tried to say anything to him on the matter of not having to help, to go and be with his father or with his new baby sister.

Alana took a deep breath, her head feeling heavy. She leaned forward, bracing her hands on the mattress. "You should go help the others." It was not a demand, but a plea. Daryl said nothing as he rose and quietly left the cell. Alana remained in her position, flinching, as the baby would cry out again and again. Her shoulders began to shake as quiet sobs racked over her. She rose quickly, losing her balance and reached out for the wall.

Only Maggie was inside the cellblock with her, all the others outside dealing with the bodies. Alana passed the cell Maggie was in, not looking over. Maggie did not call out to her. Once out on the prison grounds, she knew the others were looking to her. She steeled her eyes against the tears that wanted to continue to fall. The cold bit at her skin.

Her feet became heavy as she neared A-block and Alana felt sickness rising in her belly again, up to her throat. Rick had moved a chair, sitting at the side of the bed that held Lori. He'd wrap her body up in the sheets, splotches of red growing on the stark white sheets. Alana stood a few feet away from him, facing his back. She spoke in a hollowed voice.

"I thought everything would be all right, I wanted it to be. It's my fault. All of this is my fault." She waited a moment, but Rick said nothing to her. He remained slouched in the chair, hands limp in his lap. Alana stepped away, moving to where she had thrown her jacket. She picked it up, shrugging back into it.

Rick turned when her steps could no longer be heard, face solemn. He looked to where she had stood.

It was then that everyone lost track of Alana's whereabouts. Daryl would look over towards A-block, waiting for her to come back out. He went to check the cellblock, thinking she had slipped by. But Maggie was all alone in there with only the baby. The frustrated look on his face was caught by Dale, who stopped him, asking what was wrong.

"Perhaps it's best to give her some room," Dale had offered. He'd been trying to push the memories of the day from creeping back into his mind. He shook his head. "This…wasn't easy on her. On any of us. But, after Rick and Carl, I think this hit her hardest. We all know they'd been prepping for this. Had it all figured out. And we—we all thought, we knew it'd be okay. Lori would have that baby just fine. And then…" He saw that the frustration had washed away from Daryl's face as he looked to his boots, silently agreeing. "Let her have her time alone. I think we all need a bit of that."

Daryl said nothing, backing away and returning to helping the others with the bodies. His eyes still continued to scan over the prison, thinking he just might see her. But he didn't, and he knew that he wouldn't. This was a page straight out of his playbook. Disappearing, hiding from all contact with the group. Not appearing until he was ready. He began wondering when Alana could possibly show herself. He thought, if he were in her position, he'd never come out.

If she hadn't shown herself by evening, he'd go looking for her.

WDWDWDWD

Lucas had dug a hole for Heath's remains. The others had been watching, not saying a word as they still moved the bodies off from the prison grounds. They were being hauled out into the field at the far end. At first the walkers were just being stacked upon one another, but Andrea called for a halt to that, saying that anyone could creep up and hide behind them if they wanted. She ordered for the bodies to then be moved, strewn out between the makeshift spike barricades and a few feet in front of the forest line; trip up any other walkers that may come. For a moment, everything had felt normal to her again—as normal as things could be. The others had done as she said, agreeing or sighing or nodding in silence. It was then that she was reminded that things were not normal. She looked over the group, already missing Lori and Heath's faces.

As the small group returned to the prison from the fields, all took note of Rick. A silent cue. He carried the clothed form of Lori in his arms. When Lucas saw Rick approaching him, he stood. He had been sitting on the ground beside Heath's remains, in front of the grave he'd dug. He waited as Rick set Lori's body down before holding a shovel out to him. The older man took it and Lucas walked away.

As the grave was finished, the group witnessed Carl walking over to his the small cemetery that was growing in size. None moved for a time, unsure of whether they should or not. But no cue ever came from Rick that they were wanted. He placed Lori's body in the grave and with Carl they covered it up. Many stopped what they were doing, just watching, while others tried to ignore the whole thing all together. Once the grave was covered, Rick walked away. Carl stood for a moment longer before following. The group did their best to not look their way. Lucas passed the two as he made his way to bury Heath. Again, none moved to join him at the gravesite.

Rick paused as he passed Hershel; he was saying something, but none of the others were close enough to hear what was being said. Hershel could be seen nodding towards C-block. Rick turned faintly towards it, giving a slight nod. But he did not begin walking towards it. He said something to Carl, who then headed to C-block, while he headed back to A-block. Everyone avoided eye contact with him, only turning to stare at his back after he had passed.

A shiver ran through Rick as he passed the threshold of A-block, the doors slamming shut behind him. He rubbed at his mouth, his feet heavily leading him down the halls. He did not return to the infirmary. The cellblock was his first choice. He made his way through, eyes glancing over the cells, looking for a shadow that was out of place. He found it, at the far end, on the upper level.

Inside the cell, Alana sat on the bottom prison bunk, knees up against her chest her back against the wall. Without a word, Rick came and sat beside her, taking the bottle she held. When he'd turned to look at where she had stood in the infirmary, he'd seen that one of the cabinets where the alcohol was stored was open. He drank from the tall bottle and handed it back to Alana.

"Hershel says the baby is all right. Gonna be fine." His voice sounded hoarse as if he'd yelled till it was shot and nothing else but scratches on a wall. He looked ahead to the wall. "Tomorrow, I want you to check the buildings, make sure they all get restocked with guns, ammo, anything that might have been used today." Rick then scooted off from the mattress and left the cell.

It was the closest to normalcy they'd be getting any time soon.

**So there's the beginning of the new path the story will be taking from what I had originally planned. Next chapter will be covering how Rick, Carl, and Alana cope with things concerning Lori being dead. Obviously this means Daryl will be stepping up to be in charge of things. Now for you all to wonder, what do you think it will take for Daryl to get Alana to snap back into reality? Think she'll be able to handle being in charge again? And what about Rick? For some reason, I see Alana coming around before he does, as well as Carl. Still trying to figure out what it should be that snaps Rick back into reality. **


	86. Chapter 86

**Alrighty, so, this chapter is not nearly as long as I wanted it to be, but with work being extremely busy, I just have not had the time to write. I've been putting this piece together as time would allow, and now I'd just rather post what I have instead of making you guys wait longer. **

**I have, perhaps, something like two more weeks and then I plan to take the rest of the month off, which will allow me to focus on writing (: My aim is to be one in one week, but with how things have piled up lately, I'm going to go with two to allow me some leeway. **

**Also, for those following the other stories, Hobbit will be up next, followed by Sons of Anarchy. The latter might take a bit longer because I'll have to go through these past two seasons to figure out what all I plan to include, as well as where I intend to end the story. **

**So, without any more of my rambling, enjoy! **

The hum of electricity died as Rick turned the generators off. Alana slowly felt the cold set back into her. The sun was setting when she finally emerged and was seen by the others. Michonne was the first that she passed. When she paused, looking over the prison grounds, Michonne walked up behind her. 

"Moved the walkers out to the fields," she told her, speaking of what Andrea had thought up. Alana nodded.

She returned to C-block, hiding herself behind the sheets to the cell. No one disturbed her. As the day slowly came to an end, there was no dinner. No gathering in the cafeteria. The group, either alone or with someone else, made their way in time to the recent graves. Those that had any appetite took small parcels of food from the kitchens. Within the cellblock, they'd look to the upper level. Maggie remained in the cell she shared with Glenn, the baby still with her. None had seen Rick approach the child. Carl had held her for a moment, but handed her back over, saying he didn't know how to take care of a baby, best for Maggie to hold onto her.

A few days went by where Rick continued to keep his distance from the infant. And all were too worried to say anything of it. And it was not missed that Alana, too, remained away from the child. Every morning Carl would at least acknowledge the baby. But his face remained emotionless, just as those of his father and Alana.

She did as Rick had instructed the next day. She did so without asking for aid from the others. They did their best to keep their eyes from falling upon Alana for looking away was hard on each of them. And when they finally did turn away, their eyes came upon Rick or Carl. In the end their thoughts would rest on the child that Hershel and Maggie were looking after.

Carl was the only one seen approaching the baby for the next few days. There was a sternness to his voice when he had asked Hershel if the little girl would survive. "She's healthy. And strong. I'll believe she'll make it." Hershel had made sure not to state that they had enough formula for the baby; it suggested that Lori was not needed for this child to live. The young boy had nodded to him. "Would you like to hold her? It's about time to feed her," Hershel had then asked as Carl turned away.

"No," he had answered. "I need to check the fences." Hershel could hear the subtext. _I need to protect her._ So he let Carl walk away.

None bothered to engage with Rick. He had taken to sitting up in the guard tower or sorting through supplies that didn't need sorting. Or he'd disappear all together. There were moments when a tremor could be seen coursing through him, as if he was reliving that moment of seeing Lori bloodied and dead. He never looked in on the child or was ever found in the same room with her. For those first few days he moved about the group like a ghost, appearing to be a moment's breath from becoming a violent poltergeist.

Alana had pulled away from the group as well, though she still carried out her part within it. But none of it included being front and center. She took no charge of any task, doling out orders and chores. She remained in the background with her head down, oblivious to everything around her. Her eyes would wander to the child from time to time, but each time her face seemed to fall a bit more. And with each cry the baby would elicit, Alana cringed. The noise tore at her ears and clawed her skin. Made her eyes sting and her head groan with echoes. She took to sleeping in the furthest cell from Maggie and Glenn's, where the child slept. Daryl had said nothing to her that first night when she'd taken a few of her things and moved to the other cell. He'd seen her twitch and cringe at the cries, and so he'd stood back as she gathered her things. And he did not go after her. He walked out from the cell to see which one she had chosen, bit his lip, and then headed back into their cell. When he heard Dale down below asking about watch shifts, Daryl rose and headed down the stairs to sort things out.

He was doing a lot of that. Sorting things out for the group. Though Rick was right there, in the same cellblock or up in the guard tower, he wasn't present. Alana had hidden her voice away, not present either. And everyone knew that Daryl was the third piece to the triumvirate, so they all turned to him. It made him uneasy; to have the group looking to him, but it kept them from turning to Alana. If him being front and center gave Alana a place to hide away, then so be it, he'd do his part until she was ready to come out from his shadow.

As days went by, his shadow began to grow heavy though. Tension started weighing on him, still not having Alana back at his side. He thought this must have been what it was like for Alana all those times he'd pull away from her. But Daryl remained quiet on the matter; he'd placed Alana in this scenario numerous times. He owed it to her to keep his patience and wait for her come to terms with things. She'd come back around when she was ready. She had to. He wanted to believe it was because the group needed her, but really he didn't care about that; he needed her. It was selfish, but he needed her.

He caught her one day, as she was heading down the halls, likely off to hide herself away for the day. "Need to get more timber. Ya up for it?" he asked, blocking her path past him.

Alana rubbed at her right arm, nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, sure. Now?" Daryl told her yes. "I'll get my coat."

Daryl stepped to the side so she could pass. "Just the two of us," he added as he watched her walk away. Alana halted and turned back to him, her face still vacant except for a slight pain that remained constant. She nodded before continuing on.

He found her already outside when he was ready, standing by one of the cars. She went to the passenger side and got in, keeping her eyes down. Daryl sighed and joined her. They drove out towards the where the woods began alongside the road, parking the car off on the side. Andrea up in the guard tower had a clear sight of them. As well as the road and woods. Michonne sat up there, too, eyes on the woods at the back of the prison.

T-Dog had put together a long-armed saw; Daryl brought it with him and began walking across the treeline, picking out branches that were the right size. He'd cut them down and move along. Alana would come up behind, chopping the branches up, tossing them into the back of the car. With her back turned, Daryl would look her over. There was still a wall put up around her; he had thought of things to say, to try and chip away at a corner. Meaningless chatter all seemed…meaningless though. He'd be annoyed if someone tried talking about the cold to him. And ramming head first into the issue would do no good either. So Daryl chose to ignore both, not uttering a single word to Alana.

When the back of the car had been filled, Daryl called the task off. Alana stood back as he finished tossing the last bits of lumber into the backseat, wiping sweat from her forehead, and leaned against her axe. She laid it in trunk atop more of the lumber, closing it softly. She and Daryl made their way to the front of the car, ready to head back, having rarely said a word to one another.

Daryl climbed in behind the wheel as Alana opened her door.

_Pop._

Alana stepped back from the opened door, head snapping towards the road. She spared Daryl one quick look, seeing that he had heard it as well. It was dulled and distant, but that had been a gunshot. Daryl was ready to tell her to get into the car, but then Alana spoke and suddenly Daryl could no longer see the walls she had built around her.

"Get back to the prison. Now."

He drove quickly, sitting fully upright. As they entered through the gates, Alana got out from the car, aiding T-Dog in closing the gates.

"Did you hear it?" she asked him and he nodded, looking out towards where the road vanished at the horizon. They shut the first of the three gates. Alana waved up at Andrea and Michonne. The latter rose and made for the stairs. "Get the lumber into the cellblock. Quickly." The second and third gates were closed and T-Dog was then heading for the car to help Daryl. Michonne came out from the guard tower, face hard. She asked what was going on. "Shot fired. Out there," Alana nodded to the road. "Wasn't close, but there is no knowing which direction they're heading in."

"What do you want us to do?" Michonne asked.

"Keep your eyes open up there, radios on. I'll make sure everyone is carrying." From C-block out came Heath; Alana beckoned him over as Daryl had said something to him. "Make sure the cars are ready and get the radios out. Everyone stays in C-block." Heath nodded and returned to the cellblock to tell the others.

"What about Rick? Last anyone saw of him, he was heading into B-block," Michonne told Alana.

"I'll find him," she said.

Michonne returned up into the guard tower as Alana looked back to C-block. The car had been unloaded quickly. Daryl was speaking to Heath and T-Dog. Dale came out as well, carrying radios. Daryl took two and began walking towards Alana. He met her as she made her way to B-block.

Alana took the spare radio from him, turning it on and clipping it to her side. She filled him in on what she'd told Michonne and Heath.

"Lay low for a few days," Daryl commented. Alana agreed. "Hopefully it was just the one shot 'cause they're dead now. Any walkers nearby gonna be coming for them." Alana agreed again. Daryl knew she was heading to find Rick. "Need any help?"

Alana paused in answering, but shook her head then. Daryl nodded and turned to head back to C-block. He grabbed quickly at Alana's hand before he had stepped too far from her. It was a small comfort that for a short moment she had squeezed back.

Alana took a slow breath as she stepped into the building, the silence that greeted her giving her the moment to acknowledge that she was now out of the frying pan and into the fire, two places she had been trying to avoid. And yet had found it so easy to discover. And now that she had returned to being part of the triumvirate, Alana realized, no matter how hard she fought it, this was her place. Leading. This is what she had survived for, why she was still alive.

As she entered the cellblock, she called out to Rick, and waited.

**Oooooo they're not alone. Wonder how Rick will take the news that someone is out there shooting off a gun. Think Alana will get through to him, or will his sorrow still have a hold on him? **

**Next chapter I hope to have out by Christmas, as a wee gift for you all. Though….well, not too sure how much of a gift you will take it for. But that's all spoilers talk, best not ruin it for you (: Just, as I've said in the past, be prepared. **


	87. Chapter 87

**Happy New Year!**

**Well, one upside of getting the flu and being unable to write and post this for Christmas, I managed to get it out in time for the New Year! **

**Let's not waste any time, get to reading! **

There was no reply, only the echo of her own voice retreating down off the walls to be swallowed up by the silence. Unsure for a moment as to what to do, Alana stood still, eyes scanning over the cellblock. She began walking, peering into the cells and searching the tops of the second level. Reaching the end of the cellblock, and with no sign of Rick, Alana chose to continue walking, entering a hallway. Each door she passed, she would pause, quietly calling out to Rick again and again.

B-block, too, had an area that was designated for offices. When Alana reached the area she noticed one room's door slightly ajar. Being at the back of the building, it actually had a window leading to the outside and so slivers of light danced over the room's contents. Peering in through the small crack, Alana could see shards of floor and desk and wall alit. Behind the desk she saw Rick, half encased in the sunlight.

She pushed the door further open, allowing herself enough space to slip in, but she remained standing at the doorway. "Rick?" she called out once more.

He sat at the desk, a slumped back in the large chair, staring over the contents of the desk. His face was haggard and his body emitted a low hum of tiredness. He blinked as if trying to shake something off and looked to Alana, acknowledging her presence. Wiping at his cheek, he waited for her to speak.

"Gunshot outside." His face minutely lit up at her words. "Not sure how far off. Was just the one shot. Daryl thinks it might have been a last stand for whoever is out there. But…we're just taking precautions. We're on lockdown." Alana reached for the walkie at her waist, coming forward at last to place it on the desk. "Everyone's in the cellblock, doing double watches tonight." She retreated back to the doorway. Rick reached for the walkie, nodding his head and setting it at the edge of the desk near him. "In case anything happens…it'd be real easier if we were all in C-block."

Rick sighed, nodding once more and running his hands over his face. "Yeah. Yeah, I know. I—I just can't leave. Not yet." Alana furrowed her brow at his words. Rick pointed vaguely at the desk. "She might call again."

Alana tensed for a moment, her breath stopping. "Who might call again, Rick?"

He looked up to her finally, truly looked at her and Alana could see how even the glistening in his eyes was shattered. "Lori." Rick shook his head. "I know. I know it isn't her." He laughed sorrowfully, pushing the chair back and reaching to the floor for something. He held the disconnected phone cord. He laughed again at the veiled shock upon Alana's face. "It isn't really her, I know." Rick shook his head, bring his elbows to rest upon his knees. His tone became serious then. "She says it wasn't your fault—you did the best you could. You really did. There was just…no way she was going to make it. And she knew. So, it wasn't your fault."

Alana hung her head, fighting back the emotion that came clawing up her stomach. She blinked harshly.

Rick laughed again. "It's just what I want to hear, isn't it? What I need to hear. What I know already." Rick turned away, looking down to the phone. He picked the walkie up and flipped it in his hands. "I'll be down there in a bit. I just…need a bit more time." As a second thought, Rick quickly added, hints of his old self pushing through, "Packs and cars ready?" Alana numbly nodded. "Good. That's good."

He leaned back into the chair, slumping down, with his eyes coming to focus once more on the telephone resting atop the desk. Alana could not help but find her stare moving to the floor where the cord laid. She took a few steps back until she was in the hallway and out of sight, coming to lean against the wall. She remained there, listening. And then she began moving, further down the hall. Turning the corner, Alana halted quickly, having heard Rick speak out. But it had not been to her and it was not her name that he spoke. Rubbing harshly with her palms at her eyes, she continued walking.

Banging the door as she exited B-block, Alana kept her head down, breathing hard, as she did her best to keep her legs steady.

"What the hell is this shit? We all havin' a sleepover?"

Alana shot her head up at Merle's voice. The elder Dixon brother was making his way towards her, the blade replacing his right hand glinting in the sunlight. Alana took a last hard breath before calming herself and let the sun dry up the tears in her eyes. She kept her head cast somewhat to the ground though, not allowing Merle a straight look at her.

"Shot fired out there, somewhere. We're on lockdown for the next 48 hours. Get used to it. You don't want to be near any of us, take a watch up in the tower, just be ready to have a buddy during the night."

Merle eyed her as she came walking past him. He began to walk slowly after her, raising his voice as she stepped further away. "Didn't see Officer Rick in there."

"He's coming," Alana hollered back at him. "Now get inside." Merle spit at the ground, looking up to see that Alana had stopped walking and was turning to face him. She began to walk back towards him. Her face was mute of emotion. "No one at Woodbury knows where we are? No one?"

Merle scoffed. "Ain't none even from around here."

Alana pressed him. "How long until they find us?"

Merle paused, glancing over the prison. "Woulda found this place already, if the Governor was still alive. Heard what that Black Panther did to him, don't sound like she wanted him to survive. We might of had a nice little doctor office set up, but I doubt they could do much for him, not with Doc's nurse here with us."

Alana looked to the gates for a moment, peering down the road. "And if he's dead? What about the people in Woodbury?"

Merle chuckled. "Most of them are old, women, kids. Guys with pussies or dicks they can't keep stashed away. They'll tear themselves apart over who gets to call the shots."

Thinking things over, Alana then told Merle that the lockdown remained in place, 48 hours and then they'd decide what to do from there. He was not pleased with the prospect of being cooped up with the rest of the group, but Alana ignored his half-threats and complaints. She turned away from him and continued back to C-block.

Entering the cellblock, she made her way over to the cell in which they kept the walkies. Grabbing one, she noted as Merle came in behind her, making his way down one of the hallways. Likely to stay away from the others. She was certain he had a bottle or two of liquor hidden somewhere. Having picked up a walkie for herself, Alana turned it on and turned to head up the stairs. At the top, she met with Daryl.

He looked to the entrance to the cellblock. "He's coming," Alana told him, avoiding eye contact as she began to speak, pushing her way past him. "Just give him some time." She made her way towards the cell she had been spending the nights in, digging through the things she'd taken with her from the cell she shared with Daryl. As she turned and saw him standing there, Alana sighed. "If he hasn't come around by nightfall, I'll go and stay with him."

"Think that's a good idea?" Daryl asked, leaning against the cell bars.

There was doubt in her eyes, but not over Daryl's question. "I'm not sure he's ready to be around us yet." Daryl asked what had happened in B-block when Alana had found Rick, but she shook her head. "He needs time. Just…give him some time."

There was a long pause between them before Daryl spoke again, keeping his voice low. "He bad?"

Alana managed to nod, feeling downtrodden. "He's still, there, but if anything comes down on us here, we're on our own."

Daryl pushed himself off from the bars. He began saying how Lucas had checked and prepared packs for everyone. The cars were all parked in the correct locations, filled with fuel and everything the group would need if there came a need to leave quickly. "I'll move one of the cars to B-block. Just in case." Alana managed a weak smile. "Probably best to just leave him there. You take a shift tonight?" Alana nodded. "I'll keep him company then, if he don't show."

Evening fell and as Alana began to think that Rick would not appear, he did. He came in to the cellblock, grabbing a lantern, along with some clothes, and heading off to clean up. The group did nothing to stand in his way; no one brought the baby up to him. Rick returned to his cell, once again sorting through things. At hearing Alana's voice from the hallway that led outside, he came forward. He stepped cautiously.

"Watches all taken care of?" he asked her. Alana nodded, saying that she, along with Dale, had the second watch. They were just doing two groups for the night. The first would be Michonne and Carl. Rick nodded at the news. He asked if all radios were on; they were. Packs were ready. Cars were ready. "Good. Good." He turned and walked away, going back to his cell.

The baby was fussing slightly and so after Alana had climbed the stairs, she continued on to the end of the row, back to her temporary cell. She did her best to ignore the cries and get some sleep before her watch with Dale. The chatter and moving around within the cellblock quieted until only the child's mild fusses could be heard. Glenn could be heard trying to shush the baby girl. With a bit of time, the noise faded from Alana's ears and she slept.

She was roused by Dale halfway through the night. Rubbing at her eyes, Alana sat up, blindly grabbing at her things and then rose, following after Dale. They kept quiet the whole way. The cellblock was dark and still. Outside they were met by Carl and Michonne as the two waited at the bottom of the guard tower.

Michonne held the door open to the stairs. "All's quiet."

"Good," Dale said with a sigh, looking over the fields. He asked about walkers; Carl said there had been none thus far. "Even better." He told him and Michonne to get some rest before beginning up the steps.

Settling upstairs, picking out their chairs and wrapping thick blankets about themselves, Dale and Alana picked the areas they'd be watching for the rest of the night. Alana twisted her watch round so that the band was at the top of her wrist, so as to keep herself from checking the time again and again. She hoped it would make the night go by faster, though she already knew she'd find herself checking the time at some point.

Fifteen minutes went by before she checked. It had felt like an hour.

Alana sighed.

It drew Dale's attention, but he said not a word.

A few hours in to their watch he chose to speak, at first asking about the shot Alana had heard. "Could have been far off. Sure things echo around here. It's good that we haven't seen anything yet." Alana nodded, not knowing if Dale saw her do so or not. "If nothing happens in the next couple days, planning on sending a few of us out?"

"No." The answer was definite. "Shouldn't risk anything like that. Shot…could be drawing walkers and no telling which direction they could come from. Best to just stay here, wait out runs as long as possible."

Dale believed it to be the best thing to do.

Carefully breaching the subject, he brought up Rick after some time had gone by. "Saw him come back to the cellblock. Gotta admit, I was happy to actually see him, but…he's worrying me."

Alana wanted to tell him to nevermind any of it. She wasn't about to tell him that Rick was holding conference calls with Lori—she didn't think that would aid Rick at all. Dale would likely try and go talk to him if he knew. No, she needed to keep that contained. Wait for Rick to come back around. Or make him come around, if she could figure out a way to do so.

She opened her mouth to tell Dale not to concern himself with Rick.

Dale fumbling for something with haste kept Alana from speaking. She had been facing the back of the prison. Turning, Alana squinted slightly, raising a hand to her eyes as she stood. With a quick step, she reached for her rifle.

Coming slowly down the prison road was a lone vehicle. Looking through the goggles, Dale counted two people within. "Search the woods," Alana ordered. "Anything? Do you see anything?" She leaned over beside Dale, the both of them keeping low. One hand reached towards a walkie.

"Woods are clear. Nothing." Dale looked back to where the road came into view. He looked to the car as it came closer. "Alana…I think they're alone." He handed the goggles to Alana who blinked a few times quickly to adjust to the night vision.

Within the car were two people, both African American. A male was driving, a wide man with a beard. He looked to be heavily bundled up. In the passenger seat was a young woman, less than half the size of the man. She, too, was wrapped in many layers. Alana squinted to try and see past them, to the backseat. No, there was no one else in the car. Unless they were hiding.

The car stopped a few yards away from the prison and for a moment, neither got out. They just sat there, staring the whole place over. Alana signaled for Dale to get out of the chair and crouch down. The man driving was leaning over the steering wheel, trying to look up at the guard tower.

He said something to the woman and slowly, the two climbed out from the car. As they did so, Alana began making her descent of the stairs while Dale stayed in place. The man and woman approached the gates, trying to open them, but seeing that they were chained.

"Think we can climb them?" the woman had asked as Alana opened the door quickly and came into view.

The two were startled by the noise, taking a step back. Seeing a rifle pointed at them, the woman moved to stand behind the man as he raised his hands in the air.

No one spoke as Alana stepped carefully towards the gates, rifle trained on the man. "What do you want?" she called out in a quiet voice.

The man took a step forward, arms still raised. "Please, we're almost out of fuel. We can't make it much further." He pointed over to the cars. "If you have any gas you could spare…"

Alana shook her head. "That won't be happening. We have our own to take care of."

The man looked deflated, but continued to speak. "I understand that." He gestured behind to the woman. "I have my little sister to look after, keep her safe." He glanced Alana lower her rifle just slightly and so he kept talking. "If we could just…rest here—for the night. Just the night. You'd be helping us, helping me keep my sister alive. Please." Alana said nothing still and the man sighed. He gestured to himself and then the woman. "My name's Tyreese and this is Sasha. My sister. Please, just let us rest here for the night and we'll be gone. We just need a break. This little break."

Alana looked to Sasha, seeing how she stood there, slowly coming out from behind her brother to stand beside him. An extension of his own being. Alana gulped, her arms feeling suddenly heavy. She walked closer to the gates, eyes skipping between the siblings and the car. "You fire that shot yesterday?"

Sasha stepped forward. "Had to." Her voice was fair, but hardened. "We were with two others. Guy's wife was bitten, we had to put her down. He didn't take it too well."

"He was burying her. Slit his wrists instead," Tyreese added. "Went looking for him. Thought he was just sitting there, but he'd turned. Grabbed Sasha. He was moving too quickly, we weren't ready. Had to use the gun."

Alana thought the answer over. "How long you've been on the road?"

"Since there were ten of us," replied Tyreese. Alana asked where they were from. "Jacksonville."

"I don't know where that is," Alana said, pointing out that she wasn't from anywhere nearby via her accent.

"Florida," Sasha added. Tyreese and she watched as Alana waved her left hand after a moment, towards the guard tower.

Dale came out, his firearm ready, and made his way over to Alana, keeping his eyes on Sasha and Tyreese. Alana took a few steps back.

She whispered to him, while her eyes remained on the newcomers. "Don't make a single noise and get in there and bring me Merle. Do _not_ let him make a sound," she said in a clipped tone. "If you can't find him, make Daryl find him. And get back out here. Go."

Dale hurried off, looking over his shoulder over and over.

"We don't want to cause any trouble," Tyreese began to say to Alana, but she only shook her head.

"We've had enough of trouble here to last us quite a while. I'm not about to risk more. You two just stand there and wait."

Reluctantly, Tyreese nodded, lowering his hands, but not making any sudden movements. He adjusted the beanie atop his head and then embraced his sister, doing his best to keep her warm as she did her best not to shiver.

"What's your name?" he called out as they waited for Dale to return. After biting back a reply, Alana spoke her name and Tyreese nodded. "Had a friend, named his kid Alana. Don't hear that name much."

Alana was beginning to fidget, standing out there with the two. Dale was taking longer than she was happy with. The creak of the prison doors opening grabbed her attention for a split moment. She turned to see him coming out, Daryl and Merle behind him. Alana returned her gaze to Tyreese and Sasha, rifle raised on them. As the others neared her, she took steps back, beckoning Dale to come forward and hold her place while she addressed Daryl and Merle.

She pulled Merle aside, Daryl following. "You know those two?" she asked. "Are they from Woodbury? Are they?" She kept her voice quiet.

Merle stretched, scratching at his head. "Never seen those monkeys in my life. Then again, they all look the same."

Alana sighed and stepped closer to him. "Are they from Woodbury, yes or no?"

Merle huffed, taking a better look at the two and shook his head.

Alan turned her attention to Daryl then. He asked her what they wanted and she repeated what Tyreese had said. Merle began saying that they should just turn their asses around. Or shoot them. He was really just saying anything that would get him sent back inside. Daryl was telling him to keep quiet.

"How we know they ain't alone?" Daryl asked. He waved off towards the woods. "Their friends could be out there waiting."

Alana shook her head. "Dale checked the woods. They're clear. They are alone."

"Well then, turn their asses back," Daryl then said. He and Merle began to argue over the matter.

Alana raised her voice then, speaking as she realized what they had to do. "We can't let them go." Daryl and Merle turned to her. "We can't let them leave. If they are from Woodbury, and we send them off, they'll run right back and tell them where we are. And if they aren't, and we turn them away…"

"What's to keep them from telling the Governor where we are if they find them?" Daryl finished. "Shit." He stepped to the side and looked Tyreese and Sasha over. "Can make them stay in the car," he offered.

Alana turned to the car. She nodded. Raising her gun again, she told Dale to unlock the chains. "You can stay the night, but you're staying in your car. In the morning we'll sort out what happens next. But right now, we're going to search you and your car." Alana called for Daryl and Merle to come forward. The two did so, the latter muttering under his breath. Alana and Dale came forward once the gates were open, guns raised as the two Dixons searched the car. Daryl checked Sasha and Tyreese over. Between them, they only had the one gun and an assortment of hammers and other large, heavy tools. Alana said to them, "Bring the car in, park it right there," and she pointed to a spot by the guard tower.

"Thank you," Tyreese said to her repeatedly.

The prison group members stood around the car, watching the two. Sasha hesitantly asked Dale if they had spare blankets.

Dale looked to Alana before speaking. He saw her nod and so he nodded to Sasha and Tyreese. "I'll bring some out." Tyreese thanked him.

Daryl stepped closer to Alana, keeping his question to a whisper. "You good the rest of the night?" Alana looked to her watch. She gave a curt nod.

Tyreese was thanking them again for allowing them to stay within the prison grounds. His gratification was cut short as a scream came from C-block. Dale turned to look to Alana, unsure what to do. For a moment, she only stood there, but then Merle stepped to her and took the rifle from her grasp.

"I got this," he said, securing the rifle in his single-hand grasp, aiming it towards Tyreese and Sasha.

Alana, Daryl, and Dale went rushing back to C-block, bursting through the doors and hurrying down the hallway. The commotion grew as they neared the cellblock. Once inside, their eyes moved in haste.

The others had woken from the screaming. Alana did her best to keep up with Daryl as he took the steps two at a time to reach the second level. Halfway she stopped as a grotesque noise reached her ears and was then quickly silenced. At first her face contorted and then her insides. Her hands clenched the rails. Someone stood behind her, keeping her from losing her balance. Andrea wrapper an arm around her waist, supporting Alana as much as she was supporting herself.

From the cell that Maggie and Glenn shared, Rick slowly stepped out, one hand bloodied. He was replacing a small blade that he carried on him. He stopped and stood there, evening his breathing and looking to the others as everyone now stood out from their cells. He nodded his head, as if he was trying to ascertain himself that all was well. All was taken care of now.

"It's alright now," he told them. He looked back into the cell. Hershel had come forward; he stepped back out from the cell, his head lowered. He reached out for Maggie to console her.

Only bits of what she said could be heard.

"I put her down…she was fine…I don't know how…made sure she couldn't roll over."

Rick was lost deep in thought. He then turned and went back into the cell. He exited, holding a small, bloody bundle. Coming down the steps, Alana looked to his arms. Held in them, she saw the sickening face of the baby girl. In the moonlight that illuminated the cellblock, the discoloration of the child's eyes could be seen as they stared harshly upwards. From the side of her crushed temple crept blood.

Rick came to stand before Carl whose face fought to remain controlled, but the sorrow that had been held back from the loss of his mother battled to be let loose. "We'll bury her in the morning. Next to your mom."

Outside, Merle stood with lackluster. He eyed Tyreese as the man stared at the stump on his right arm. When the others began coming back outside, Tyreese edged closer to Merle.

"He ain't coming yet," he said quietly, keeping his words short. "People are getting sick at Woodbury. You have till Spring and then he'll be here. He knows exactly where this place is."

Merle made a retching sound as he spit at the ground. He shook his head, looking to Alana and the others. "Tired of these fuckin' people already."

**Maybe it's better I didn't post this for Christmas, wouldn't have exactly been a happy, feel good present haha. **

**So tell me, how cruel was that of me to end this on those two bombshells? How many of you are dreading Spring within the story now? And how many of you are evil like me and can't wait for Spring haha. **


	88. Chapter 88

**Hey look, I'm still alive!**

**Just insanely busy. Work has been picking up and it's been next to impossible to find a break to write. Haven't even had time to read up on others stories I've been following.**

**I know this isn't much, about half the size of a regular chapter, but seeing as how I just realized that tonight Walking Dead was coming back on, I had a crazy idea to be crazy and attempt to write something. I figured, with the episodes back, it would be great if I could write something. And, without knowing how this new episode would be, I thought it best to try and write something before eventually watching it since it could possibly just irritate me and make it difficult to write anything new. **

**As I've babbled about before, apologies for the delays between updates. Work has been hectic and there's just no way around it. Well there is, but the means having to find a way around not having any money, and I have a holiday to plan so money is a wee bit of a need. **

**Thank you to everyone that has stuck around, to the newcomers that have wandered over. Glad to have you all aboard. I'll warn you all now that I have nothing planned out far as outlines go for the next few chapters since originally I hadn't intended to take the story in this direction. But since I lost the second half of a previous chapter and was unable to rewrite it in any manner that I was comfortable with, I've had to take some detours until we reach our final destination. What I hope to do is use these new episodes as a sort of bouncing board for ideas and to determine if I will keep my original ending for this story or continue on further into the comics/show. **

Alana found herself climbing the remaining steps, coming to stand before Hershel, using the railing to brace herself. All were numbly quiet while they watched Rick carry the small girl out, Carl trailing behind him. Inside the cell, Glenn sat with Maggie. Hershel turned to them, telling Glenn to take her away. Head to the cafeteria. Or anywhere really. Just away from there. Give her a chance to shake this off, if at all possible. Glenn nodded and helped Maggie rise from the mattress. Alana stepped aside to allow them space, waiting until they were on the first level before turning to Hershel. Behind him stood Lucas, shaking the sleep and shock from his mind. As Hershel began to speak, a few of the others came closer; climbing the stairs or straining to hear. Andrea and Daryl were the closest to Alana.

Hershel shook his head as he absorbed the moment. Lucas asked quietly what had happened.

"Crib death," Hershel answered, shaking his head once more. He looked forlornly to the others. "There wasn't any way of knowing." He looked vaguely into the cell to the makeshift crib. "We took what precautions we could."

As everyone remained silent, Alana's mind returned to the two strangers outside. She turned on the stairs to face Daryl. "Let everyone know what's going on outside and get them back in their cells," she told him as quiet as possible while she guided him to follow her down the stairs. He asked of Rick. "I'll get him up to speed," she answered after thinking it over.

"Ya sure about telling them?" Daryl whispered, looking over the others.

Alana kept her eyes set ahead, not focusing one anyone. "Things have gone to hell already as it is," she muttered in a dry tone. "Might as well finish it off." She stopped at the entrance to the hallway. "Keep everyone inside." Taking a breath to steady herself, Alana turned and continued on her own. Daryl remained in his spot, watching her until she turned the corner and was out of his sight.

Alana gripped at her side, missing the rifle in her arms. Wishing she had carried a sidearm, Alana balled her fists. A determined echo of steps behind her began to grow. Alana turned to see Michonne coming up behind her, carrying her sword and a handgun. She handed the latter over to Alana and fell in step beside her.

Her face was neutral, eyes set ahead on the floor, everything pushed away and out of reach of emotion. "What's the plan?" she asked.

Alana bit at her lip. "Keep them here for the night, figure the rest out tomorrow. Not much else we can do right now."

Michonne then asked, as if she had meant it as the actual question, "What about Rick?"

Shaking her head, Alana took a moment to reply. What about Rick? It was likely they were all wondering the same thing. Even the man himself. He'd just lost his wife and newborn, both instances being ones where he was not present at the time. The realization stung Alana. She had been there with Lori. Could have saved her. Could have kept the walkers from getting in. Could have kept Heath alive. But every choice she made kept coming up as the bad ones. The stinging translated to her eyes and Alana set her face straight.

As the silence continued on, Michonne spoke. "Manage all this hell till Rick comes around?"

Alana nodded numbly, slow to verbally agree. "Yeah. Figure everything out till he…comes around." She wondered if that was possible at all now.

The two exited C-block, surveying the grounds quickly. Seeing no sign of Rick or Carl, Alana and Michonne made their way over to where Merle stood watching the newcomers.

Sasha sat in the back seat of their car, door open. Tyreese stood beside the car, doing his best to block the wind from her. Merle leaned against the hood in front of the driver's side. Seeing them all standing there, Alana cursed, slowing her step.

"Head back in, grab some blankets for them," she said to Michonne. "And have Dale come back out. Got to finish our damn shift." Alana sighed, running her hands over her face.

She asked Merle where Rick and Carl had gone off to; she knew they were not in C-block. She'd heard the doors open.

Merle nodded over to B-block. "Officer looked mighty bloody."

"Well, yes, that tends to happen when you shove a blade in a baby's head because they turned," Alana bit back harshly to him. Without thought, only venting anger, Alana slammed her fist at the side of the car. She quickly held her hand up, turning vaguely to Tyreese and Sasha. "Sorry," she muttered. Taking the rifle back from Merle, she told him to go back inside and to stay there. She waited for his comeback, for him to say something biting. But Merle walked away without a word. And Alana was grateful.

Awaiting Michonne to return with the blankets for the two, Alana rested the rifle on the hood of the car, planting her palms on it as well. She stood, favoring her braced knee, head down. She began to speak, not looking to Tyreese or Sasha.

"You picked a bad time to show up." Alana tapped her thumbs against the hood. "Show up two…three months ago, things would have been different. As it is now, you two are out to kill us for all we know." Tyreese made a movement to speak and Alana stopped him with a shake of her head. There was no sugarcoating things, no making things nice and easy. "There's another group out there, looking for us. They want what is ours and they want us dead. Now, you're either telling the truth and you were just…on the road and found us here. Or, you could be part of their group, sent to find us." Alana smirked and chuckled with irony. "_Or_ you could be on your own, but if we force you from here, you just might come across the other group, tell them where we are." She raised her eyes to them then, looking between brother and sister. "So you may be sleeping out here tonight, under the pretense that we'll let you leave come tomorrow. Give you supplies even. Fuel. But the truth is," she spoke quietly, "that you might as well be prisoners here because we're not going to let you leave. That man you saw walk out here, with the kid, that's Rick. He's in charge here. Till he's ready to decide what we're going to do with the two of you, we'll have eyes on both of you at all times."

Tyreese wore a look of comprehension and concern. "We understand," he told her, nodding. His eyes moved over B-block. "I'm sorry you lost someone. A baby? Had a wife and a little boy…lost them when this all started. Only had Sasha since."

Alana looked up to see him glancing at his sister. A grotesque bile grew in her stomach and echos of Wilhelm floated to the surface of her mind. The faintest whisper of jealousy. The doors to C-block opening tore her attention away; Michonne came out along with Dale, both carrying blankets and pillows.

Tyreese and Sasha stood with apprehension. The items were handed over to them as Dale spoke quietly, pointing out which blankets were best for layering and which were best for covering up with. Tyreese thanked him, never short on gratitude.

Alana and Michonne stood back, speaking lowly.

"I don't think they're coming out," Alana said in regards to Rick and Carl, the two women watching B-block. Turning to Michonne, Alana saw the solemn shade that hung on her face. Her eyes were vacant, as if she was far off, stuck in a past moment. "Michonne?" she asked, brow furrowed. She began to reach out to her when she jerked herself, returning to then and there. Taking a deep swallow, swallowing the memory away, Michonne nodded towards the building.

"Just…leave them be. For now. It's the only thing we can really do."

Alana agreed to it, not questioning Michonne. She turned to begin heading back to the guard tower, but was stopped. Michonne shook her head, daring to look over her shoulder to C-block. "Dale and I have it covered." She looked haunted, as if she didn't want to go back to the cellblock. Not now, at least.

"All right," Alana said. Sparing a look over to Tyreese and Sasha as they prepared to sleep in their car, she added for Michonne to come get her if needed.

Alana glanced once more to B-block before heading back inside. Still Rick and Carl had not come out. Her steps were slow and heavy as she made her way down the halls. Nearing the cellblock, she could hear the others faintly. They must have head her as well, for when she entered they had become as quiet as possible. Everyone was back in their cells, trying to go back to sleep. Or, in truth, pretending to go back to sleep. It would be a long while before any of them would be able to sleep that night. Glenn and Maggie had still not returned from wherever they'd gone. Likely the library. Hershel, with help from Axel and Lucas, had set up a bed in a different cell, in case Maggie and Glenn returned.

Andrea came out from her cell on the bottom as Alana reached the stairs. Before she could say a word, Alana told her that everything would be sorted out in the morning. Her tired tone drew a nod from Andrea. She backed away and headed into her cell again.

Alana pulled herself up the steps, hands gripping the railing tightly while she hung her head. Her feet took her past the various cells. She was nearly to the end, to her temporary cell, when she realized the silence.

No crying. No wails from the baby.

The silence was not welcomed. Alana cringed, taking a shallow breath. She continued on to her cell, entering and doing her best to keep her legs steady as she leaned over, collecting her things. The spare items she'd brought were placed at the center of her layered blankets. Bunching it all up, Alana picked up the bundle and took wavering steps back down the walkway.

She did not look to Daryl, or to see if he was even in there to begin with, when she entered their shared cell. She moved to the wall and placed her bundle against it. Leaning against the cold stone, she shrugged out from her jacket, removing the excess layers. Her eyes never focused on anything, only staring numbly outwards. She picked one foot up, undoing the laces, repeating the action with the other, kicking the boots off.

The cellblock had fallen into silence and by some ill fate, Alana caught the echo of a sob as it moved down the hallway. Maggie.

Alana froze, though her chin betrayed her and began to quiver. Her eyes slowly burned and breathing threatened to rise in panic.

And then a shadow came over her, blocking out everything. It guided her towards the mattress, hid her under the covers.

Daryl pulled her so close that they shared the same pillow. He felt the shudders shake through her and moved to lay on his back, pulling her against him. He wrapped an arm tightly around her waist while the other held onto her shoulder. Brushing her hair back, he turned his head, resting his cheek against her temple. He breathed deeper than normal, giving her something to match her own to.

Her breathing steadied and neither spoke a word though both were still awake. Daryl's grip of her remained tight and Alana did not unclench the fabric of his shirt. He could have said something, but he knew by then that it wouldn't do much good. No amount of comforting words would do away with having to still deal with the situation. Another one of them was gone. Dead. Holding Alana there against him, Daryl found himself thankful that it wasn't Alana. And though he felt guilt over it, no amount would stop him from being thankful that he still held her against him. Alive.

**Again, thanks to everyone for still reading! **

**To hopefully help me along with plotting out the future chapters, it'd be great to get some feedback from you all (: **

**Far as the current season goes, what did you all like about it? What didn't you like? **

**Are there bits, events, etc., from the season that you'd like to see translated over into this story?**

**And, turning to the story itself, thoughts on Tyreese and Sasha? How do you think the group will react to them? What will it take for the group to accept them? **

**Pretty much, just what are your thoughts on everything (: **

**I'll do what I can to get something else written for next Sunday if I'm able to catch some spare time. It may end up being about the same length as this chapter, but I'll do my best to write more. **


	89. Chapter 89

**Added note 17/2: Totally forgot to add this earlier, so for those that have already read, I'll add it to the next chapter as well. I've seen that a lot of authors actually have tumblr accounts set up for their stories where they post updates, tidbits, etc. It had me wondering if anyone would be in favour of me setting one up for this story; since my schedule is always changing, I thought it would be a good way to still keep in touch with you all, post sneaks at future chapters, and so on. **

**So what do you all think?**

**So I got very lucky and there were some work delays, which meant I had a wee bit of time to get this written. **

**Thank you for the new follows and favourite's that popped up over the week! Thank you for the reviews and messages as well, good to see that everyone is on board for the story going either way far as following the show goes. Still not sure how much I will follow the show, but I will for sure be taking bits from the show and adding them in various ways. **

There was a hesitancy as morning came. Those that would rise early, alongside the sun, did not. They remained behind in their cells, lying awake, staring at the grey ceiling or the grey walls that surrounded them. Daryl was amongst them. He stole glances down at Alana, who had burrowed herself into his side. His small movements did nothing to wake her and he did not find it out that she was still fast asleep. With everything that had happened recently, he doubted that she slept much at all. Sometimes at night he'd wake and hear faint noise coming from the cell she had secluded herself in. If he came in from a night watch, there were times when he'd see a faint glow coming from her cell; her watching another film. A long one. She always picked the long films.

He knew others were awake, but not leaving their cells. He knew that Glenn and Maggie had never returned to the cellblock. That Dale and Michonne had remained out in the guard tower the remainder of the night. And that Rick and Carl had never come back from B-block. Looking to the small clock in the cell, seeing that it was after six, Daryl slowly began to rise.

Someone had to get up and start sorting through all this hell. He glanced down at Alana as he pulled himself away from her. That someone might as well be him, he figured, give her a break. He slipped out from the cell and quietly made his way down the stairs, through the hallways, and to the cafeteria. Picking over their food supplies, Daryl turned to the doorway as he heard someone approach.

Andrea took a seat at one of the table closest to the kitchens, rubbing her face over. Daryl asked how long she'd been awake and Andrea smiled wirily. "About four hours now." She shook her head. "Kept…waiting for something else to happen."

"Yeah. Know the feeling," commented Daryl, coming forward with bare hands. He'd not found anything appealing to eat. He found that he was not hungry, instead, simply trying to find some semblance of nothing being wrong. He leaned against a table beside the one Andrea sat at and the two were quiet for a moment.

"Someone should go check on Maggie and Glenn," Andrea offered up.

Daryl nodded in agreement. "Probably in one of the offices."

"…and Rick and Carl." Daryl was hesitant to agree on that suggestion. Andrea moved on from the comment. "And the, uh…guests?"

At this, Daryl shook his head. "I'll take care of it. Should keep everyone inside. Just in case."

Andrea sighed, saying, "Just in case they're lying and they are from Woodbury."

Daryl didn't try to hide his agreement, pushing himself up from the table. "I'll grab Merle. Head out to the tower. Keep a eye on our guests." He knew the best place to keep Merle would be at his side where he could keep him in check. Alana could handle his brother, but just at that moment Daryl felt it best to not lay anything upon her that he could pick up himself.

"Anything you want me to do?" Andrea asked him as he began to walk away, sorting out plans for the day.

"Keep everyone inside."

Andrea was caught off guard somewhat by the comment, thinking that task was one that'd be passed to Alana, but she said nothing of it. She nodded her head and rose from the table to follow after Daryl.

The sun was just beginning to rise and the others kept to their cells. A whisper was heard here and there, but hardly a movement was made. Climbing the stairs, Daryl could hear Andrea speaking with T-Dog, relaying the meager plans for the day. Making his way up the stairs, he could see her leave T-Dog's cell and return to her own; likely to sit there and pass the message on to everyone as they slowly dared to come out from their cells.

On the second level, Daryl stopped at Axel's cell when the man pulled back the sheets covering the entrance. Axel stared at him and then peered around him to the left and right. He was looking for his little German. Not seeing her, he turned his questions to Daryl.

"What's the nightmare for today?" Daryl told him of it and Axel scoffed quietly. "Stayed inside over half my life. This'll be a breeze."

Daryl continued down the walkway quiet as he could. Slipping back into their cell, he saw that Alana was awake and up. She sat on the edge of the mattress, having already dressed and was beginning to put her boots on. She didn't look up to meet his gaze.

Daryl started picking over his things, dressing himself in layers. "Gonna keep everyone inside today," he began. Slowly, Alana's eyes fell on him as he continued speaking. "Andrea's letting everyone know." Daryl shrugged into his jacket. "Check in with Dale and Michonne, figure out what to do with those other two."

"Tyreese and Sasha," Alana said, a slight, tired distaste in her tone. "And Rick?" she then asked, eyes following Daryl through the cell.

He shook his head. "Him and Carl never came back from B-block. I'll head in there, get him up to speed on things." Daryl was about to add that Maggie and Glenn hadn't returned to the cellblock, that perhaps Alana could go check on them. But then he thought not. The slump of her shoulders wasn't because of tiredness, he could see as much as he watched her. No, he'd tell Alice or Andrea to go check. He moved for the cell's entrance, pausing before pulling the sheets back. He looked towards her, but his eyes stared to the ground beneath her feet. His fingers played with the strap of his crossbow. "We gotta think of somethin' to do with those two. Can't just…leave them out there. If they're from Woodbury, could have others just waiting for a signal or something."

He was silently grateful when Alana nodded. She rubbed her hands over her thighs, standing slowly. She asked quietly if anyone else was awake. Daryl told her yes, but that so far none had left their cells, aside from Andrea, whom was in charge of telling everyone to remain inside. Alana nodded again. "That's good. Uhm…" She rubbed the back of her neck, pulling her hand away as she felt the raised scarred skin there. "I'll sort out watches for the day. Figure out what to do with Tyreese and Sasha."

She walked with him out from their cell and down the stairs, the echo of their steps dying quickly in the heavy morning. Alana parted from his side, heading to the restrooms. Once she was out of sight, Daryl moved back down from the opposite hallway, past the cells till he reached Andrea. He asked her to track down Maggie and Glenn. When asked of Alana, Daryl shrugged Andrea off. Said that Alana was fine. She was going to be fine.

He continued repeating the words in his head as he walked away.

The sunlight was still minimal, still growing, but it was bright as ever, peering over the horizon. Daryl turned his head down, waiting for his eyes to adjust, as he exited C-block.

The noise of a scuffle and rising voices drew his eyes back up.

In the early morning light he saw Dale rushing towards him; must have been on his way already to raise the alarm. He unsteadily stopped, a few yards in front of Daryl, breathing heavy and unable to do more than turn around to the scene that was unfolding. Daryl was quick to rush over, shouting at the others. He dropped his crossbow as he neared, reaching out for Rick and pulling him away from Tyreese. Michonne stood before Sasha, keeping her from getting close. Carl stood away from the scene, shadow in his eyes, watching everything. In his arms he held a small form, wrapped in a sheet. The mismatched color of dried and wet blood could be seen at one end.

Daryl kept pushing back at Rick as the man continued to move forward, eyes set on Tyreese, shouting. He held his left hand against his abdomen; the skin busted open and fingers set strangely.

"What are they doing here? Who are they? Did you let them in? Did you?" Rick shouted, trying to shove Daryl aside. He continued with his questions and words. Accusing Daryl and the others of letting their guard down. Letting the enemy right in the front door. He ridiculed them.

Tyreese did not need to be held back. He had staggered back towards the car, Sasha at his side; her eyes jumping from him to Rick who yelled at them. Michonne was beside them, her sword still out in her hand. Dale stood between the others and Carl, not sure of what to do.

Over Rick's shouts, Daryl managed to speak loud enough to be heard, asking, "What the hell happened?" His question was directed at anyone that could answer, that wasn't Rick.

Sasha spoke hotly. "_He_ came over here." She turned her head to the broken passenger window, which Daryl then noticed. Sasha shouted to be heard over Rick while Tyreese remained quiet, nursing what would soon become a black eye, a gash upon his cheek. "We did _nothing_!"

Daryl's ears began to ring with the shouting. Rick was still fighting against him, yelling to Tyreese and Sasha, saying that they had to leave. They didn't belong. He reached for the holster of his gun, but Daryl was quick to reach for it, stilling Rick's hand as he gripped it harshly.

"I got this!" he shouted in Rick's face, giving him a cruel shove back, pulling the gun from the holster and leaving Rick weaponless. "I _got _this." Daryl huffed, turning to look over the others. He jerked an arm towards Tyreese and Sasha and began speaking, voice burning. "Showed up in the middle of the night. What the hell were we supposed to do, huh? They're here now. They can't leave. They don't _get_ to leave." He stepped forward. "Yeah, maybe they're from Woodbury. Means we can't let them leave." Rick glared at those around him. To the woods. "We already checked the woods," Daryl quipped. "First thing we did when they showed up on the road. Ain't no one else out there." He used the gun as emphasis, pointing to the ground. "They stay here till we know whose side they're on." He took a deep breath, shoulders rising and falling heavily.

And there before him, Daryl watched as Rick deflated. Head lowering. The scowl on his face fading and a lost façade coming over it.

Daryl started stepping away from the situation. "Someone get back up there," he ordered, jabbing a hand in the direction of the guard tower. He looked with scrutiny over Tyreese and Sasha, swearing under his breath. "Shit. You two come with me." He picked up his crossbow, slinging it over his shoulder, gun still in hand. His eyes turned to Michonne, meeting hers, before he then looked to Rick. She nodded. With few words, she had Dale returning to the tower while she stepped over to Rick. "I'll send Alice," Daryl told her.

Sasha held onto her brother's arm as they two moved away from the car and came towards Daryl. He stepped aside, telling them to walk in front of him and towards C-block.

"Where are you taking us?" Sasha asked. Tyreese hushed her.

"Get that face patched up," Daryl remarked. He heard Tyreese voice his thanks. Daryl said nothing in response. They approached the doors to the building. Daryl came forward, opening one of them and holding it open. He looked in before telling the two to enter. No one was in the hallway. Daryl glanced back before shutting the door, seeing Michonne following after Rick and Carl. He held in a sigh.

Tyreese and Sasha moved slowly down the hallway, eyes moving over everything. It was still quiet inside. Daryl would tell them to turn here or there and they did so, wary of the shadows that danced all around them. The silence did nothing to ease Sasha's nerves. Nearing the cellblock, Daryl paused them, coming to stand at the front. He peered down the hall, seeing into the cellblock. Leading them out into the open area, Daryl put them up against the nearest wall. He was about to call out for Alice when Michonne entered the cellblock.

"He don't want any help," Michonne said under her breath. Her eyes were hard, accusing. Daryl asked just what the hell Rick was doing then. "Burying his baby." Michonne walked away from him.

Daryl fought his impatience over the situation seeming to only spiral downwards further. He looked down for a split moment, pushing the hair out from his eyes. When he looked back up, he saw Alana standing in the hallway on the opposite side.

Her eyes were on Tyreese and Sasha, seeing the quiet anger in the latter's and the wreckage over the former's. She looked for a moment upon Daryl. And then she was moving towards him, coming to stand before him, looking up and waiting for him to tell her what he needed of her.

"Need ya to patch him up," Daryl spoke quietly, even though he saw over her head that others were beginning to peer out at them. He had to ignore them for now. Alana did not look over to Tyreese, to get a better look. She only asked where she should take him.

"I'll need light," she told Daryl.

"Take them to A." Daryl looked up to Axel, who stood outside his cell, leaning on the railing and watching. "Take Axel with you." The older man stepped into his cell and came back out carrying a shotgun.

"I'll grab my things," Alana said as Axel approached. Daryl told him to begin leading the two to the infirmary. Once the two were gone, being followed after by Axel, Alana started towards the stairs, Daryl behind her.

People were coming out from the cells, the small noise grabbing their attention. Daryl called out from the stairs for everyone to stay inside. He responded to those that asked what was going on. "Clearin' shit up, what's it look like? Now stay inside." Under his breath, he added, "Shit morning."

In their cell, Alana turned the moment the sheets had dropped back into place. "What's happened?"

Daryl came forward to stand closely before her, keeping his voice down. "Don't know. Headed out there and Rick was tearing his face up. He lost it." He told her what Rick had been shouting, how he had finally backed down. "They picked a bad time to show up," Daryl commented.

"Yeah," Alana said, stepping away to begin collecting her things. "We all picked a bad time." She sighed. "What do you want me to do afterwards?"

Daryl was quick to tell her to keep Tyreese and Sasha in the infirmary. "I'll come get you." He added, thinking aloud, that perhaps they should just be kept there in A-block.

Alana paused when she was ready, watching over Daryl who had his head down, thinking away in his mind. "We'll have to feed them," she told him, puling his attention back to her. "It'll be easier just to bring them back here. Won't do us any good to separate ourselves. We can keep them in the gym. Lock up that weight room so they can't get to anything. Put chains on the doors. Locking them in one of these cells won't exactly look good on us if they end up _not_ being from Woodbury." Alana stepped forward to Daryl. "I'll fix him up and wait for you to come get us. In the meantime, have someone get the gym ready. Pull everything out from there or toss it in the cage and lock it up."

"Yeah. Yeah, sounds like a plan," Daryl spoke.

They left the cell, making their way down the stairs, parting ways again at the bottom. Alana kept her head down as she passed through the halls. At the doors, she halted, hearing Alice calling after her. Though she had been awake for a while, she still looked to be shaking the sleep off.

"Daryl told me to come with you," Alice told her as she pulled a coat around herself. "Said 'three is better than two.'"

Alana nodded, returning her gaze to the ground before them. They made their way into A-block and down the halls until they reached the infirmary. Alana stopped for a moment near the entrance. They hadn't had the chance to come in before and clean things up. Bloodied sheets were piled atop each other, the machines pushed off towards a wall. Needles and IV bags and gloves scattered about two beds. When they had entered, Axel had placed Sasha and Tyreese at the furthest corner of the room so that he could at least try to gather the things together.

Alice shrugged out from her coat, walking away from the left side of the large room. She headed over to the cabinets and began collecting what she would need. Over her shoulder, she spoke. "I'll clean him up." She turned to Alana.

Alana nodded, taking a steady step and moving away from the signs of the near past that lay atop the messy beds. With Axel following suit, she grabbed a chair, dragging it over to where Tyreese and Sasha waited. She sat leaning, rifle across her lap. Once Alice had begun tending to Tyreese's wounds, Alana pushed herself up a bit, resting her arms atop the rifle.

"This is what's going to happen now."

**It would appear that I don't give them much time to deal with anything, do I? Oh hey Lori's dead. Oh, now so is Judith. Oh and we have newcomers. And oh snap, Rick just attacked Tyreese. Maybe at some point I should have some compassion and give them a break? Haha**

**So, for those that may be wondering about why Rick went after Tyreese, how all that went down, my reasoning behind not showing it is that it just wouldn't make sense to always have Daryl or Alana around when every single little thing goes down within the group. There have to be some parts where they have to hear things from other group members. In the next chapter we will hear from Dale about what happened, as well as Tyreese and Sasha. And far as what's going on with Rick, we won't really see much of it; he's pulling away from the group so we'll only see glimpses of what's going on. **

**Next chapter will be focusing on this same day as the newcomers are dealt with and the strain it puts on everyone. With Rick looking to be out of the game for now, again, a lot of things are going to fall and the shoulders of Daryl and Alana, so we'll see how they handle it all. Think either of them might crack under the pressure? **

**Also, did anyone catch the itty bitty parallel I slipped into bits of this chapter? Won't give any hints, because they'll just give it all away haha, but I'll let you all in on it next chapter (: Oh okay, one hint. It's in regards to another character. **

**Fingers crossed that I'll get more time off next Sunday to get the next chapter written and posted for you guys (: Be sure to leave reviews or message me as getting your feedback helps greatly with being able to write faster ;) **


	90. Chapter 90

**Anyone want to take over work for me so I can get this story written? Any takers? No? Drats. Oh well, I tried. **

**Anyways, holy cows! So glad to see many of you reading this story, it's crazy! Thank to the reviews, faves, follows, everything! You guys have been the best. **

**Now, I know this chapter is nowhere near as long as I wanted it to be, but I just couldn't keep away. Had to get something written for you guys. And with these last episodes of Walking Dead actually being enjoyable for me, I wanted to take that moment to get something written. Feed off of the good vibes. Hopefully, if I'm lucky, the next chapter will be much longer and will set up the changes in the prison and start a new arc in the story. **

**OH! And! And! **

**I HAVE A TUMBLR FOR THIS STORY NOW.**

**Just stick in my username, blackestnight10 dot tumblr dot com, and you'll find the blog. I've explained there in a post the purpose for the blog. Really it all comes down to being able to interact with all of you! Post writing updates, little chaper teasers, etc. **

Her eyes moved from brother to sister, watching the small movements either made as she spoke. The small reactions they gave away. All the while, Axel stood nearby, leaning against the wall, looking every bit relaxed, though his eyes never left the duo. Sasha hovered over her brother, watching as Alice cleaned him up. Silently scrutinizing. Her expression remained hard, but Alana could see the cracks in it. Could see as they lengthened and expanded as she continued speaking. Alana did not care to look further—not now—to determine if Tyreese and Sasha had been sent by the Governor. For now, she wanted to set the pieces in place. To let the two know just where they stood within the group. And that was outside.

"There's a gym, in C-block. Where we stay. That's where you'll be staying. In the evenings, you'll sleep in the cellblock with us. We'll be locking you in your cells…just a precaution," Alana added at the end, though it lacked all reassurance.

"And how long will this be for, since you've made it rather clear we're not leaving," Sasha said, crossing her arms. Tyreese quickly looked to her, shaking his head.

"Don't. Start," he told her and then looked past Alice to Alana, his right eye swollen and already beginning to show discoloration. "Being in here is better than being out there. First break we've had in a long time. Whatever we have to do, we'll do it."

Alana wanted to bite back at him, back at his submissiveness. It aggravated her beyond words.

That wasn't true though. She could put it into words so very easily.

Wilhelm. He reminded her of Wilhelm.

She pushed the thoughts back down, returning to the issue at hand.

"We're clearing out the gym for you two right now," Alana continued with. "You will be locked in there and someone will always be at the doors. Anywhere either of you go, someone will be following. _This_ will go on for as long as we think it's needed."

Alice finished cleaning and patching Tyreese up, scooting away in her chair. Alana told her to go and check on Rick. She didn't know what state he was in, but judging by Tyreese's face, it wasn't a good one. Alice nodded in silence and began grabbing items she believed she'd be needing. Alana followed after her, stopping just outside the doorway.

Alice knew what she was wondering. "I don't know either of them," she told Alana quietly. "There were…quite a few of us, but everyone knew each other. They aren't from Woodbury." She then paused, a docile panic falling over her face. "At least not from before we left." Shrugging, Alice began walking away.

Alana hadn't fully trusted Merle's word that Tyreese and Sasha weren't from Woodbury—she doubted that he knew everyone there. Alice had been there longer. And she was right; they may have shown up after their escape. Could have been that the Governor was holding something over them. That perhaps he would allow them to join Woodbury if they infiltrated the prison. There was no telling what he may have said to them concerning herself and the others. He could have made them all out to be the villains for all Alana knew. It would explain the hostility from Sasha.

The thoughts of Wilhelm returned as Alana saw that she looked into a mirror when she glanced over Sasha. She remembered her own hostility at a younger age and how Wilhelm's deceiving calm demeanor irritated her.

Alana's thoughts hovered over this last thought as she returned to the infirmary. Her sight was set upon Tyreese. She took her seat once more, watching him and his sister for a moment.

Even her brother had had breaking points, Alana thought. And she knew how to push them.

"The group that's after us, looking for us, would kill everyone here if they ever found this place." Alana shuffled her feet on the floor, leaning back in the chair. "There was a helicopter, a while back. Saw it, going down. Couldn't tell if it was just some random one, or military. So, we headed out. Four of us. Figured there could be survivors." Her lips curled up in irony. "We reached the crash site, but someone else had already been there. There was, a trail, leading back into the woods. We followed it towards a road. There were others," Alana said, eyes shifting up to the siblings. "We tried sneaking back away, but we were caught. Taken to this town. Woodbury. They're nearby to a National Guard setup. It was suicide to try and fight our way out."

Alana kept talking, mentioning in detail the field where the walkers were. Where the fights were carried out. "We knew the place was…unsavory, the town felt fake, and that did it in." Alana rubbed at her wrists. "He wanted to know where we were staying. We lied—we all lied, saying we were the only ones left of our group. That we'd been on the road. Constantly moving. But he didn't believe us. We were locked up in a storage unit. One was in their little infirmary, after what the Governor and his men did to him. They then beat another of us up, trying to get answers. Then they beat the other two of us up, for answers, for their own entertainment. And then they raped us."

Alana watched as Sasha's stern armor wavered. She saw the shadow creep over Tyreese's face. How his muscles tensed, eyes twitching for a moment towards his sister.

"It's what they always did," Alana moved on saying, taking a lazy breath. "They didn't really let anyone into the town anymore. Not unless they had something to offer the Governor. Something that he could use for himself. With some help, we managed to escape. Made it back here in two groups. Only, when I got here, I saw that one of the Governor's men had come along. But not out of the goodness of his heart. I shot him and I bashed his head in."

Studying Tyreese and Sasha, Alana saw the realization surface in their eyes. As if they were, for the first time, seeing the scars that littered her body. They took in the faint marks on her face. The rippled skin of her wrist. The brace on her knee. She could feel them looking through her, seeing every scar. She saw as the bile filled their stomachs and rose within their throats, threatening to gag them both.

"Before our escape, one of us managed to do quite some damage to the Governor. We have no idea if he survived his wounds or not. So we've been sitting here…waiting. We don't dare go anywhere near Woodbury to find out for certain if he's dead or not, worried that he has his men out looking for us. He knows about this prison being here, and we want it kept that way. Whether he's still alive or not. We do not want Woodbury finding us. Because if they do, we're dead. If we're lucky."

Alana was finished. She sat up straight in her chair before standing and walking over to the cabinets. She pulled out a bottle of liquor, not bothering to see what kind it was she had taken. She twisted the cap off and took a mouthful, not even shaking her head at the harsh taste and sensation. With her rifle rested in the crook of one arm, Alana carried the bottle over to Tyreese and Sasha.

"If you are from Woodbury, we will kill you." She held the bottle out towards Tyreese, watching him for the slightest reaction, ready to separate the truth from any lies.

He nodded to her after a moment, returning her steady gaze. "Understood." He took the bottle from her and drank. Sasha made no movement for the bottle and so he then returned it to Alana, who began walking away to put it up.

Alana made her way back over to her chair, resting the rifle over her lap once more. The four of them waited in silence as the gym was cleared out. The dull echo of the doors opening traveled down the halls after a while. Hearing the footsteps grow louder, Alana knew it was Daryl. She stood and headed for the hallway.

Before she could tell him what little she'd found out about Tyreese and Sasha, Daryl spoke.

"He patched up?" Alana nodded. "Move them to the gym then." She saw an aggravated haggardness hanging over Daryl; it kept her from saying anything to him. She remained quiet as Tyreese and Sasha were taken into C-block, to the gym. Within, Lucas was just finishing leaving behind some food and water. Once the doors were being locked and chained, Alana turned and left, following after Daryl who had already disappeared.

There was a worry growing in her and he was the root.

**So again, not much, but I just had to give you guys something new. **

**Anyone else feeling the tension building? And not even just between Alana and Daryl, the whole prison is in for some serious times. **

**Think Rick has hit his breaking point? Maybe he isn't fit to be the leader anymore? **

**Judging by Daryl's mood there at the end, doesn't look like he's enjoying having to play leader, does it? **

**So where does that leave us? Rick seems to be out, Daryl getting moody, something's going on with Michonne, and Alana is somewhere in this huge mess, trying to sort out her bearings. **

**For all you lovely readers, I will do my best to get something written for a posting on Sunday or Monday. **


	91. Chapter 91

**Be sure to follow the tumblr for this story to get updates and sneak peeks to chapters! There'll also be Walking Dead posts, as well as other fandoms and just anything else that catches my attention. Go check it out! **

**It's at blackestnight10 dot tumblr dot com**

**So, I lost track of time and actually ended up finishing this chapter very early! I'll be dragging my feet come the morning, but finishing early trumps that (: **

**Maybe, if we are very lucky, I'll manage to get another chapter done in time for Sunday's episode. **

Everyone was now awake within the prison, their quiet voices trickling down the halls. Only a few were still behind in the cellblock; the rest had gone on to the cafeteria. T-Dog had begun to set up a small breakfast for everyone. An attempt to give the group something to steady themselves upon. Another attempt at normalcy. Seeing Andrea coming out from her cell, Alana stopped her.

"See which way Daryl went?" she asked Andrea. The sigh she emitted before answering did nothing to calm Alana's nerves.

"Headed back outside. To talk to Rick, maybe." Andrea admitted that she had gone to talk to him herself, while the others were cleaning out the gym. "Alice had already come back from fixing up his hand. Nothing's broken, she said, just hammed up his fingers."

Alana furrowed her brow. "She say anything?"

"She tried telling Rick that those two in the gym weren't from Woodbury, that she didn't recall them being here. Didn't mention that they could have shown up after you guys got out. But, nothing," Andrea told her and then took a step closer as Hershel had come into the cellblock, heading into his cell to grab something. "She says, all he said was that Daryl would sort it all out. He knows that to do."

Alana stood there with her mouth open for a moment, not sure of how to respond. She raised her brows and shook her head then.

"So it looks like…we're on our own for awhile. At least."

"What did he say to you?"

Again, Andrea sighed, crossing her arms and looking forlornly frustrated. "I told him what all I knew, from what Daryl had told me. I didn't know what Michonne may have said already—something's up with her as well. I don't even know where she is right now. Saw her head into the cafeteria, but she left and headed down the hall." Andrea shook her head, bringing herself back to the topic of Rick. "I told him what the plan was, that we were going to keep everyone inside for a few days. Try to figure out if Tyreese and…Sasha are telling the truth. He said that was good. We were doing good. He's still in there. I told him there was breakfast in the cafeteria. He just kept saying that was good, keep everyone together."

"What about Carl?"

"I think he's burying her. Axel was at the doors and I heard him saying something to Daryl about Carl and a grave. That's when he headed outside. I told Axel not to let anyone else go out there."

Alana suddenly thought of the guard tower. "Who's keeping watch?"

"Merle," Andrea scoffed. She then shrugged. "Best place for him though. Hasn't said anything yet, but, still. Probably for the best to keep his thoughts far from us."

Alana agreed. She inhaled steadily, something she found herself doing much of lately. Trying to hold onto one last shred of composure. "Go," she said to Andrea with a wave of her hand. "Get some food. I'll…cover the doors." At the hallway that led to the cafeteria Alana rubbed at her forehead with the knuckle of a thumb. "Take some food to Lucas, will you? I don't know if he took anything." Hesitantly, unsteady over the words, she asked, "Have Maggie and Glenn…" She did not finish the sentence.

Andrea nodded though, head down. "They're already in there." Alana asked how Maggie was. "She's trying…" She thought over what to say, settling on, "She's trying." Before reaching the cafeteria, Andrea stopped and asked in a quiet tones what was going to be done with Tyreese and Sasha. "Daryl didn't say anything except that we were putting them in the gym."

Alana did not pause to feign thinking things over. She shook her head and told Andrea, "I don't know. We'll figure something out."

Andrea nodded, taking a step forward. "Just let me know what you guys decide," she stated before heading into the cafeteria and leaving Alana alone in the hallway.

Continuing on down the hall, Alana felt her steps become heavier, her shoulders pushed down further. The stark reality of the situation resting over her. All eyes were on Daryl and her now. But here she was, getting secondhand information. Reaching the doors to C-block, Axel stood from the chair he was sitting in while also using to prop one of the doors open. Alana took the seat to keep the door from pushing it back. She listened as Axel rattled off what all he had seen and heard. It left her feeling like an outsider to it all.

Rick was still in B-block. Daryl had gone in, but didn't say anything as to whether he'd gotten anything out of the man. He looked mighty pissed, as Axel said, when he came out though. Merle was up in the guard tower; Axel reckoned someone else should head up there. He said he'd head up there after grabbing something from the cafeteria. As he finished up speaking, Alana turned to look over the growing graveyard at the back right corner of the prison grounds. She could see Daryl standing off a ways while Carl tended to the new grave. Being so small, it hadn't taken him long to dig it.

"He looks pissed, too," Axel commented. "If you follow me. Lot for a kid to go through. Shit just isn't right."

Alana shook her head. "He isn't a kid anymore. Not after all this."

Axel spit at the ground, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Damn shame then."

Alana sat there alone then, waiting for Carl and Daryl to return back inside. Much as she tried, she couldn't keep her eyes from scanning over the fields. To the trees. Not long had passed before Axel reappeared, heading to the guard tower. Knowing that the area surrounding them was being fully watched now still did very little to ease her tension. Her eyes returned to the treeline once more before focusing again on Daryl and Carl. She wanted to wonder why Rick wasn't out there as well, but there was no need for that. The man was broken.

Her thoughts became scattered at the thought of Rick being _broken_. She'd seen that state he was in the previous evening as he left the cellblock, but something told her he was worse off now. Even from afar, Alana could see the tension in Daryl and knew it meant that he wasn't satisfied with whatever Rick may have said to him.

Seeing Daryl take a step back and Carl as well, Alana straightened up, readying herself. The two began making their way back towards C-block, both keeping a distance from one another. It was easy to look at Carl as he did not even acknowledge Alana's presence as he passed by into C-block. She waited some time afterwards before addressing Daryl. Eyes glancing over to the guard tower, Alana stood and pulled the chair inside, shutting it behind Daryl. They stood against opposite walls.

He wouldn't look at her, keeping his head down as she could see him faintly rocking on his feet. Being shaken by whatever frustration was within him. Alana thought twice about asking Daryl any question. She tried to relieve some of the strain.

"Lucas is watching them, in the gym. Andrea took him over some food to hold him over for awhile." Alana kept correcting herself as she found that she was crossing her arms, closing in on herself. "Axel's up on watch with Merle. They can probably stay up there for most of the day." Daryl was nodding slightly at her words. At least she was getting through to him, in some way, she thought. He hadn't huffed and stomped off yet. That was always good. She could nearly see the wall that was separating them, that Daryl was using for whatever reason (no, she had an inkling of what that reason was). Alana dared to push more words through the cracks in that wall. "Did…Rick say anything?"

She could feel him lashing out with his words, but Alana took no pain from Daryl's answer. "Yeah, shit's on me now." He hitched his crossbow up on his shoulder and proceeded down the hallway. Going past the cafeteria and into the cellblock. It took a moment, but then Alana was following after him.

Peering into the cafeteria, she saw everyone was in there. They looked a somber bunch. From a corner near the kitchens, Alana spotted Andrea and T-Dog. Both were standing and looking over the others. The latter caught her eye and nodded, as if saying, "We've got this."

Inside the cellblock, Alana did not see Daryl. She kept walking, heading down the next maze of hallways, slowing once she reached the offices and peering into each one. A noise coming from behind, from the restrooms and showers, drew her back. Returning to the cellblock, she found Daryl climbing the stairs. Alana did her best to not keep her eyes on him for too long; it left her nerves tearing at one another.

She didn't know what to do.

Within their cell, Daryl was sat on the mattress, elbows atop his knees. Alana knew this demeanor. She knew what came next. He was coiled up, as tightly as was possible, and at the wrong moment for her, he would snap. Lash out as it was all that he knew. Feeling uncomfortable with standing over him, Alana moved into the cell and lowered herself against the wall facing him. She was ready to again broach the topic of Rick and what they were to do now without him, but Daryl found his voice first. It was eerie to Alana, hearing defeat and tiredness coming from him. And fear.

"Ya think maybe they ain't from Woodbury?"

She was unable to answer him at first. The stark reminder of Woodbury quickly filled her mind and left her lost in it all. She'd never spoken to Daryl about Woodbury and the Governor. He knew just as much as the others. From the looks that she'd seen directed towards her, Alana knew that Rick, Glenn, and Michonne had not said anything as well. The group knew just the basics. The details were left to the shadows because Alana nor the other three dared to see them in the light.

When she spoke, Alana's voice was shakier than she wished it to be, though she fought to remain steady. To keep her barrier up between herself and what had happened back then. In an effort to keep a grasp on what control she had, Alana did not look to Daryl. She looked to the floor between his boots. Or the wall. Or the cell bars. Anywhere but at _him._ She knew what Woodbury had done to her. How it had changed her, though she didn't wish to admit it. But she couldn't bear to see how the reminders affected Daryl.

"When we were there…we saw the others, living there." Alana chewed at her bottom lip. "There were whole families. Children. Saw a few on the streets. Looking out their windows at us." She recounted seeing these same people then at the soccer field. Her cheeks became cold, eyes stinging as an ache began to set in her head. "They were so…_normal_. They were normal—I don't even know if they knew what the Governor was doing." In desperation she looked up to Daryl. "They were there, watching those fights. Why wouldn't they know about—" Alana stopped herself, seeing how Daryl turned his gaze from her. She reached up, pressing at her cheeks, pulling them down. Trying to dry up her eyes. Leaning her head back against the cold wall, she turned it away from Daryl, her eyes falling over their things in the cell.

She saw then, tucked away in a corner, along with her other clothing, a shirt that stuck out from a stack.

Wilhelm's.

The words left her mouth and flowed out before she realized she'd begun speaking. As the words came out, a grim calm came over her. Vanishing once she was done. "I wish Wilhelm was here. He'd know what to do." The corner of her mouth quirked upwards as she looked then to the cell's entrance. "He'd be standing there, telling us what we were going to do. How we'd sort everything out and everything would be all right." She tried chuckling, but couldn't. "And he'd laugh at us, saying we're such a mess together. Say that we'd never be able to manage without him."

She made no noise, but Alana felt as the tears began to fall over her cheeks. She sat there, head hung, letting them blur her vision and fall to the harsh floor below. She felt childish, but a great part of her wanted to get up and wrap herself in that shirt of Wilhelm's. Wanted to bunch them all up in a pile and lay in it.

"You didn't…take care of it, did you? When he was bitten? That's why you never brought his body back." Alana did not pause very long, continuing to speak. "Didn't want you to waste a bullet. Didn't want you to waste anything. Knew we'd need everything we had."

Her head turned to Daryl as he spoke up at last, though he still did not look up to her.

"Sorry he didn't make it," he said in an undertone.

A sad smile formed on Alana's lips while she watched Daryl, seeing how he fought to remain a solid force before her as the cracks continued to grow. Quickly, his shoulders tensed up once more and panic rose inside Alana. Much as both of them wanted to pull away from everything, from each other even, Alana admitted she had to say something. Had to keep him from pulling away, so that she wouldn't pull away.

It fell over her then and she began seeing everything at once.

Daryl was not Wilhelm. He would never be Wilhelm.

But that was never the point. It was never what Wilhelm had intended. This, joining this group, was not because he was trying to protect Alana. At least not in a direct manner. This had all been about preparing her. Readying her to take his place if he ever died. He welcomed Daryl because he knew that she would need someone there beside her, just as he had needed her. She'd need a reason to keep going. Her mind flashed violently with thoughts of what would occur if the Governor ever found them. She could see the rage Daryl would spiral down into and it would get him killed. If she were not dead, she'd then be alone.

Alana stretched her left leg out, knocking her boot against Daryl's. "I've still got you though," she whispered. When he looked up to her, she dipped her head, holding the quick glance he had taken. She did the best to smile. Daryl picked at his nails, eyes jerking away from hers only to return a moment later. After a thought, he nodded.

"Not much," he uttered, Alana hearing the self-hatred in his words.

"But it's enough." Exhaling loudly, Alana wiped at her cheeks, stretching her other leg out before her, tapping her boots together. To herself she wondered what Wilhelm would have done if he was still there. Her face cleared and she turned her attention to Daryl fully. "We should search their car again. Maybe…maybe there's something in there we could use. Maps. See if they were marking their routes. Figure out which roads they took to get here."

The shakiness from her voice was gone. Her eyes had cleared and her cheeks did not feel so cold anymore. Her hands no longer tensed. Heart could not be heard or felt beating in her head, echoing.

"We could question them," Daryl offered and Alana nodded. "See if their stories match up."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea," Alana told him. Cautious of her next words, she asked, "What should we do about Rick?" Seeing that the tension wasn't growing back in Daryl, she continued. "I want to just, leave him in there, but if something happens…"

Daryl looked her square in the eyes, that calm look about him that somehow still managed to look like he was about chew your head off or throw a punch. "Ya should talk to him. Maybe he'll listen to you."

Alana held back the scoff that had built up inside. She held back the worry as well. "Alice tried talking to him, Andrea, and you, and he's still in there." She didn't mention Michonne for she didn't believe that Michonne had tried to get through to him at all. She was dealing with something of her own. And Alana didn't have the time or enough stable nerves to try and venture into it.

Daryl shrugged, finally sitting up straight before pressing his hands into the mattress and leaning back. "Maybe he'll listen to ya."

"Yeah," Alana then scoffed. "Maybe I'll get something out of him, like a punch. Lori died on my watch. Maybe if she hadn't then the baby—"

"It ain't your fault. None of it." Alana shook her head at his words and Daryl said hotly, "Guess Wilhelm getting bit and walking off, turning into one those things, that's my fault then." Alana paled, feeling herself cowering under his self-accusation. "World's gone to shit. We just gotta keep surviving." At that, Daryl stood up, straightening out his jacket. He stepped to Alana's side, looking down at her until she finally looked up, and then he held out his hand to her.

"Just…get through today. Worry about tomorrow, tomorrow?" she asked him. He nodded. Before taking his hand, Alana said in a solemn voice, "My bottom's fallen asleep." She actually felt her face strain at the smile that formed at seeing Daryl shake his head, trying to hide his own smile. The moment reminded them both of being back on the farm. Of Alana hungover the morning after being brought back from that house. Of her skinning squirrels at his side, those stupid voices she did. Of every damn Bambi comment she made. "No seriously," she told him as she took his hand and he pulled her up, "it's asleep." She stood there, face slightly scrunched up at the strange sensation. Daryl finally chuckled under his breath as she reached behind herself and rubbed at her bottom.

"Let's clean the car out. Get those two talking," Daryl told her as Alana began picking her things up. She settled her guns in place and switched into a thicker jacket. "Tonight ya can talk to Rick." Alana froze at that comment. She wouldn't stop being unsure of that idea. Daryl added, "I'll go with you."

He stepped forward, leaning into her as he wrapped his fingers round her nape. His hand drifted over the chain that held her ring. He always did this from time to time. If there was ever a moment where he was stressed, angry, Daryl would find himself alone with Alana. He'd pull her before him and just breathe. Eyes closed, not saying a word. She kept him right and he'd stand there with her until she put him back straight.

His lips skimmed over hers as he pulled away, tugging at the sleeve of her jacket. "Let's get through today. Fuckin' tired already."

Alana smiled at his back as he exited the cell.

This was the Daryl she knew. The Daryl she needed.

**And there we have it! Another chapter done (: **

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	92. Chapter 92

**Another chapter! And just in time for tonight's new episode! **

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Together, Alana and Daryl searched the car, tearing it thoroughly apart whilst Axel and Merle peered down from the guard tower. There was a plethora of random items stashed away inside the vehicle. It had all been mostly kept to certain areas; under the seats, in the compartments of the dash, out of the way for the someone to sleep on the backseat. The trunk was filled with bags of food and extra weapons. Clothing and a measly medical kit. Two backpacks were on the floor before the passenger side front seat. Everything that had been kept neatly away though was now tossed about from the search of the car that occurred the night previously.

For a second time, Daryl searched through the items and car, Alana at his side. The packs were emptied, every bit of paper looked over. Every little thing, looked over. Alana found items of clothing that did not appear to belong to either Tyreese or Sasha. Must have belonged to the others that had been travelling with them. If that had been the truth. The car was emptied, things set around it in groupings. At least on Alana's part. Daryl just tossed the stuff behind him.

The weapons had certainly seen some gore. There was one machete, a baseball bat with nails sticking out from it, and quite a few long handled hammers. A couple rifles and guns were amongst the collection, but none had any bullets. They'd been tossed to the back of the trunk.

Finishing with clearing out the trunk, Alana stood back, frowning. Taking a longed glance over everything littering the ground around her, she walked to the front of the car, watching Daryl then as he slammed a dash compartment shut. He took a heavy breath and stepped away.

"Well…that was a waste of time," Alana commented, eyeing the car with a small disgust. There were three maps, but none had been marked in. There was nothing that could link them back to Woodbury. Nothing that raised warning flags. Except for the absence of warning flags. Alana thought over what their next step should be, now that they had nothing to start off on. "I guess we should still question them. Separate, like you said. It's all we have to go on at this point."

Daryl nodded in silent agreement. With a calmness, he began collecting the items around the car and then tossed them unceremoniously back in. Alana took the moment to head up in the guard tower and check in with Axel and Merle. Mounting the steps, she mentally prepared herself for whatever comments would possible sprout from Merle's mouth.

Up in the tower, with its large glass windows, the sun felt warmer. Alana spared a look towards Merle before turning her attention to Axel. She asked if they were both okay with being up there for a large portion of the day in a tone that suggested her question had, in fact, only one answer: yes. Axel did not reply, shrugging his shoulders and lounging a bit deeper into his chair. The man was content to sit up there all day and into the night. He had become rather accustomed to small spaces and having little to do aside from reading books and wagering who would get shanked in the cafeteria. Shankings had gone along with the other inmates, and he'd made his way through a large portion of the library—or at least the portion that was of any interest to him. Sitting around, content, was pretty much all he had left and that didn't bother him.

Merle huffed (a Dixon trait it would appear) from his spot, having already turned back around to face the fields around the prison. "Didn't really sound like a question there, _Eva_," he said over his shoulder, grinning to himself. He missed the quiet sigh and lack of energy for Alana to roll her eyes. He jutted his stump in the air, a macabre waving of her off.

Axel turned back to Alana when she looked to him, giving her a nod.

She began to step away, hand resting on the doorknob as she readied to close it behind her. With a creeping thought she paused, leaning her weight partly on the door as she pushed it fully open. "What happens, if the Governor finds us?" she asked to Merle's back. She could feel Axel staring at her and how the comfort seemed to be sucked from the room at her question.

Merle was slow to answer, barely looking behind to Alana. His gaze was lowered to the ground before he gave one simple look over, turning to the fields again. "Ya know what'll happen."

Alana felt unsteady on her feet. Without another word or glance, she left the guard tower, eyes downcast. She felt that if she kept her eyes hooded, then none would see the worry that was driving her thoughts. Daryl asked if Axel and Merle were set up in the guard tower and she nodded, pleased when he raised no concern over her.

Back inside the others had finished eating and were spread out within C-block, settling themselves in for a long day. In one of the empty cells a clamoring of noise was heard. Alana and Daryl shared a glance. They found Lucas inside, the glow of Alana's small DVD player upon his face. He paused the film and stood up. Daryl asked why he wasn't at the gym.

"Hershel came by and said he'd watch them," he told him and Alana.

Taking a strained breath, Alana walked away. A moment later, Daryl followed. She was heading for the cafeteria, intent on eating at least a little something, to keep herself from getting a headache later on. It had taken her a while to get over the caffeine headaches when things first began. She was now used to not having any soda. All she did have was tea and coffee, both of which were consumed sparingly. In the cafeteria, she took a small bar wrapped in wax paper. Alice had become resourceful when it came to food; she regularly made fruit bars using whatever nuts and dried fruit they had on hand, as well as dates. She had numerous two- and three-ingredient recipes stored away in her head from all the cookbooks and magazines she used to read.

Alana took a seat at a table while Daryl headed to the back of the kitchen to grab himself something to eat. He returned and sat with her, both eating in silence for a moment. He unscrewed the cap off a bottle of water and pushed to towards her. After she took a sip, he asked her how they should go about questioning Tyreese and Sasha. He asked in a manner that would have sounded like any other question to others, but Alana knew he was wading in unfamiliar waters.

She thought over the questioning that had occurred with Randall, and she knew that was not an option. She knew Daryl must have thought of it as well and tossed that idea aside. No matter what they decided to do, one thought had to be kept in mind at all times.

Tyreese and Sasha could not be given any reason to turn against them, if they were indeed _not _from Woodbury.

Quietly, Alana and Daryl sat and went over what questions to ask, trying to think up ones that would shed some light onto whether or not the duo was lying. They thought over what to say or ask if a particular answer was given. It was like being forced to play a game of chess against a computer; every single move had to be thought out, but no matter what, the chances were slim of actually winning.

After some time of sitting without any disturbance in the cafeteria, it was decided what questions would be asked to Tyreese and Sasha. Where they had started off from needed to be known and how long they may have stayed in any one area. Both would help Alana and Daryl determine at what pace the two had travelled. It was not likely that Tyreese and Sasha kept track of the passing months, so any tidbit that could help determine a timeline was needed. The question of why the two chose to travel north had to be brought up. They only way to reach the prison was by coming in south and the fact left Alana and Daryl wary. Whether the duo had been heading north or west, reaching the prison meant making a direct change in direction. Daryl had posed asking about the potential groups Tyreese and his sister had been part of, but he shrugged it off, saying to himself that they likely wouldn't even be able to remember it all. Or could feign not recalling. Blame it on the 'grief of having to remember' or something along those lines.

With her feet propped up on the table and slouching in the seat, Alana shook her head. "They'll remember," she murmured. Her memory fogged over, recalling for herself the groups she and Wilhelm had been part of. Of how each group was gone now. "We'll ask them about the last group they were with. And the first."

Daryl made no comment, agreeing with a nod.

With a small collection of questions to ask, Alana sat back, rubbing her face over. She felt like she'd been up for hours already. A look at her watch showed that it was only passing over to 11am. She badly felt the need for a nap as both her body and mind felt sluggish. "Now," she spoke, pushing the thoughts of sleep away, "we just have to decide who will talk to them." She raised a hand at the incredulous look Daryl shot her way as he stared her down from the other side of the table. "You don't exactly look like the most welcoming person here. And…well, you aren't the most welcoming person here." Alana retreated into her head, eyes skimming over the cafeteria as she thought. "Maybe we should show a weakness. Let Dale question _one _of them. Have him talk to Tyreese, make him believe that Dale will be doing both questionings." Daryl nodded as he saw where Alana was meaning to take things. "Might get him to slip up. And…" Alana wasn't exactly sure about the next idea. It could prove useful, but she wondered if it was worth it. "…Merle and I will question Sasha."

Daryl scoffed at her. "Ya think he'll really listen to you in there? Best chain that girl up or else she'll tear his fuckin' face off once he starts talking shit." Daryl flinched at his own words, cowering back for a second. His eyes darted to Alana's hands, peeling over her left wrist. He couldn't bring himself to utter an apology, the words drying out in his throat.

Alana clenched her jaw, looking away. "He'll do whatever I tell him to do. And he'll say whatever I tell him to say," she finally spoke, her eyes steeled. Slowly the tautness of her face softened. "Sasha is nowhere near as restrained as her brother and that's our advantage. If they're lying, this is the way to catch them. Two different interrogations, two approaches."

"And if their stories match?" Daryl asked, a bit hesitant to look at Alana for more than a few seconds at a time. As Alana was thinking it over, he continued, saying, "Should check the woods for any tracks, see if they were followed here or not."

Alana nodded, the tension now fully gone from her as she refocused. Daryl found it easier to look at her then, but was silently berating himself over his words to her. She started to repeat the list of tasks and he tuned himself out from his own head.

"We'll question Tyreese in the library. We'll keep Sasha behind in the gym. Then, depending on their answers, we'll check the woods." Alana didn't bother with pondering who would be sent out. She wanted to deal with only what was at hand. "I'll have Andrea go in with Dale," she added as a last thought.

Daryl was resigned to Alana's plan. He was relieved to have not had to think it all up on his own. He was relieved to not be sitting in that cafeteria alone thinking everything out on his own.

He also felt guilt over needing her to carry his weight for him, as he saw it. Over having to keep him in check. With that guilt settling inside of him, he asked, "Sure about taking Merle in there with you? Worse than me, ya know." He turned away.

Alana's smirk could almost be heard as she rose from the table. "I can handle your brother. He has one arm and better yet, he has a dick and balls. If I have to, I'll crush them with my boot to keep him in place." She held back a small chuckle as Daryl muttered it wouldn't be the first time such a thing happened to his brother.

The two headed for the cellblock to seek out Dale, Lucas, and Andrea. Alana commented on how someone would have to go get Merle from the guard tower and take his spot as they began passing the cells. Both were taken aback when Carl emerged from one. In a minute tone he asked why Merle was needed. Daryl was the first to speak, saying that they were going to question Tyreese and Sasha.

Carl nodded. He had come out from a different cell than the one that he had once shared with Rick and Lori. Alana could see past him that he'd moved his things in and that the former cell was a small chaos. Carl had changed out from his dirtied and bloodied clothing and looked to have at the least washed or wetted his hair. It was getting long, nearly as long as Alana's had been when she first cut it back at the farm.

Taking a step back into his cell and grabbing the belt and gun harness, Carl said, "I'll cover his watch." His tone was a mixture of passive exasperation and weariness.

Neither Daryl or Alana stopped him. Once he was out of earshot, Alana turned to Daryl and told him they'd let Dale deal with 'that.' "I'm no good with kids," she added. Daryl quipped that Wilhelm had had two daughters. "Exactly. _He_ had kids, not me."

Looking through the cells and seeing who was still in the cellblock, Daryl muttered, "Where the hell is Michonne?"

That was when Andrea came walking in from the hallway, looking slightly defeated. Being unwilling to deal with something was more like it though. She heard mention of Michonne and came forward to the two as the question as asked again.

"You didn't see her?" Andrea asked, a bit shocked at the blank stares she was given. "She went to the greenhouse," she gestured with a hand. Alana muttered under her breath about telling everyone to stay inside C-block. She asked if Michonne had at least said _why _she was going to the greenhouse. Andrea only shook her head.

"Not like it's the first time this shit's happened," Daryl told them in regards to losing people. He looked to them questioningly when both then turned to him, their faces lit in cold realization.

Quietly, Alana asked Andrea, "We never asked why she was on her own, did we?"

"You think she had a kid?" Andrea asked.

"I think we should just leave it," Alana answered. There was no disagreement. Andrea inquired as to whether they should try and get her to come back into C-block, but Alana showed irritation at the thought.

"Rick's still out there," she quipped. "Doesn't really matter where everyone is, does it? We're not ready if the Governor just randomly shows right now." She held a hand up, apologizing, slipping from her agitated tone to a calm, tired one effortlessly. "Sorry. Sorry, just leave her there. Go clear out the library, if there's any supplies in there. And grab the maps. Find Dale and wait with him in there."

"What's going on?" Andrea asked.

"You two are going to question Tyreese." Alana paused before saying that she and Merle would be questioning Sasha. When asked if that was a smart idea, she said, "It's all part of the plan. We'll explain everything."

"Alright," Andrea sighed. She turned and went back down the hallway.

Alana faced Daryl, telling him, "Get Merle in his place and meet us in the library. I'll go check on our guests."

At the hall that led to the gym, Alana slowed, coming up beside Hershel who was sat in a chair facing the gym doors.

"All's quiet in there," he told her, nodding to the doors. "Can hear them talking a bit, not moving around a lot though." Alana only stared at the doors, the plan still running through her head as she tried to pick out any weak spots. "Something going on I should know about?"

Alana shook her head. "Just going to question them, figure out if they're lying or not," she murmured. Before Hershel could give any response she turned and left.

Inside the library, Andrea, Dale, Daryl, and Merle were all waiting.

Alana warningly looked at Merle as she rested her hands on a chair and leaned forward. Andrea had brought the maps, just as asked. And Daryl had grabbed the ones from the car that Tyreese and Sasha had come in. She began telling them of the plan to question the two, separately. Andrea and Dale were to question Tyreese there in the library, while also being the decoys to Sasha. They would make it seem as if they'd be speaking with Sasha as well, after Tyreese, but Alana and Merle would be the ones to do so. Alana made it clear that Merle's purpose in all this was to irritate Sasha in the hopes of getting her to slip in a lie, if she and Tyreese were lying in the first place. And Dale and Andrea were to trip to get Tyreese to slip.

"How…when we will decide if they're telling the truth?" Dale asked.

Alana admitted that she didn't know how. Saying they'd know when the Governor showed wasn't a wise then to mention. She was hoping he'd never show. That he'd bled out and died. That Tyreese and Sasha were just…lucky and turned down the right roads. Though, at the current moment, those roads could be seen as the wrong ones.

"Gonna check the woods," Daryl told everyone. "Look for any tracks. Might as well check the roads, too."

Alana was reluctant, but agreed. "We can check the woods afterwards. Tomorrow, we can send a group to check out the roads."

The list of questions that were to be asked was gone over. Daryl listened in as Alana went over the role each was to play. Dale would speak with Tyreese while Andrea served as the doubtful ear in the room. She was to not trust whatever Tyreese said, but also not to show resentment. Alana would question Sasha and, the part that the rest either didn't agree with or were wary of, Merle was free to say whatever he wanted. Daryl was the only one that didn't say a word, having settled it with himself that she knew what she was doing. Would have been a lie, though, if he said he wasn't still worried. Merle all the while was sitting at one of the long tables, boots up on it. He smirked and listened as the others argue over his task in all this.

"Don't worry," he told them, "I'll get that little monkey riled up for ya."

Alana turned to look down the table at him, any hint of civility absent from her. "You'll push her as far as I let you push her. I know that Daryl's thanked you, but if you don't stop when I tell you to, _I'll _thank you for getting me out of Woodbury." The others became silent, unease rising amongst them. "I may be grateful, but don't think for one minute that I'm stupid." She pulled the knife hidden in her boot out and held it up. The knife Daryl had given her. "This is the only thing that saved me. Admit it."

She knew he wanted to say something, to bite back at her somehow. He was a Dixon, after all.

He looked away from her then, not saying a word and ignoring the others. Alana continued going over the plan.

Just past noon, the interrogations began. Andrea and Dale went alone to retrieve Tyreese. Alana, Merle, and Daryl waited in one of the offices until the others had passed to the library. Once they were settled in, Alana led the two men to the gym. Hershel stood and unlocked the doors, apprehension apparent on his face. Daryl held out the maps to Alana who took them before walking inside the gym. As Merle came in behind her and the doors were closed, Daryl could see Sasha rise from the center floor of the gym.

He waited there by the doors, listening. As Hershel began to loop the chains back through the door handles, Daryl stopped him before he could shut the lock. He stood with an ear to the doors, pulling a gun from out of his jacket, and waited.

**Raise your hand if you think the interrogation is gonna go to shit! **

**And let's see what everyone thinks, let's take a poll of sorts: Whose side do you all think Tyreese and Sasha are on? To trust them or not to trust them? And just what the hell are we all thinking Merle is up to? **

**Tonight shall be a late one for me, lots of work to catch up on. And I'd actually like to try and get ahead on some, so tomorrow I just may be able to 1) sleep in late and 2) get more writing done so that 3) I can post a new chapter within the next 2-3 days! Be sure to submit those reviews so I can get giddy about them and write faster (: **


	93. Chapter 93

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Alana could see the alertness rise in Sasha as she and Merle entered the gym. She kept looking behind them, to the doors. Looking for her brother likely. As she sized them up, Alana took the moment to look around. Mattresses, pillows, and covers had been brought in. More than enough for two people. There was a box filled with food and water. Everything was centered within the gym. Only things that weren't were two chairs, pushed up against the sidewall. And that was all. The rest of the gym was cleared out, everything having been stored in the adjacent weight lifting room, all locked away. The metal barred door had been locked and chained up, too. The steps Alana and Merle took echoed off the walls and Alana was sure Daryl was listening to each one. She wouldn't be surprised if he was standing right there on the other side of the doors, gun out and ready. Truthfully, she had been shocked that he agreed to waiting outside.

Alana walked over towards that wall with the chairs against it. She still carried her rifle. Shoving the strap high on her shoulder, she picked the two chairs up and carried them to where Sasha was standing. Looking over her, Alana knew the woman wouldn't be the first to speak. She could see how Sasha was studying them. Her eyes had already begun darting between them, to the gym doors, to the rifle on Alana's shoulder. Her eyes grew darker when glancing over Merle and how he hung behind Alana, in now way diminishing the fact that she saw him as a threat. Back and forth, back and forth Sasha went between them and Alana knew what she was doing. Determining which one was the greater threat to her at that moment.

She was looking for a way out.

Clever.

Sasha took a few steps back as Alana approached, setting one of the chairs before her. She then retreated back, leaving a few feet between them, and settled the other chair down. Settling in her seat, Alana placed the rifle on the ground beside her. "We're going to go ahead and ask you some questions. Now." She could have put on a forceful tone, puff her voice out to make herself fill the room and choke Sasha, but Alana honestly didn't have the energy to do so. And besides, with Merle there, there was no need for her to do much aside from asking the questions.

"Where'd you take my brother?" were the first words Sasha spoke, crossing her arms and refusing to sit down. She stood behind the chair, eyes focusing on Alana.

"He's being questioned in the library. We'll bring him back once he's done." Alana stretched out her right leg. She'd be grateful once this winter was over. Unzipping her jacket a bit, she pulled out the maps, tossing them to the ground between the chairs. "We'd like to know what roads you and your brother took, to get here."

Sasha made no movement at first, remaining behind the chair, arms still crossed. She switched her weight from one leg to the other slowly. Alana wagered that she was cold; she looked to be weighing black tights underneath her jeans, which were worn in places. She wore a long-sleeved compression shirt underneath a thick knitted sweater that was too big on her. A jacket that must have been hers was tossed on one of the mattresses. Alana doubted it offered much far as warmth was concerned. Wouldn't have mattered if it did for the sweater she wore was much too bulky for the jacket to fit over. Wherever she and her brother had come from, they must have left quickly, Alana thought. Their car may have had a collection of clothing in it, but very little of it looked like it actually belonged to her.

"What does it matter to you?" Sasha asked finally. Her tone was strained with calmness. Alana knew it wouldn't be taking long for Merle to get under her skin as he chuckled from somewhere behind her. She did not turn to see where he stood or what he was doing. She could gauge all that from the look Sasha wore.

"You remember my little talk this morning about Woodbury?" Alana asked, but didn't wait for a reply or acknowledgment. "This is how we determine if you and your brother are telling the truth. That you _aren't_ part of Woodbury. So, again, show us what roads you took to get here."

There were footfalls and then Alana could see Merle from the corner of her eye moving around the mattresses. He was looking over the box of food that Dale had left for Tyreese and Sasha. He pushed things aside in it before picking out a small packet of cookies, tearing it open with his teeth.

Sasha came forward, begrudgingly, picking up a map and opening it. She looked up from the map as she opened it, eyes hard on Merle while he quietly ate the cookies, still looking through the box. She looked to Alana, but Alana just sat there, not saying a word to Merle or even fully looking over at him. After a moment of going over map, Sasha stepped closer to Alana, pointing at a spot on it as she handed it over. Alana held the map open, telling Sasha to point out the route they took. "We got off the highway here, started heading this way." She crossed her arms again, looking back over to Merle, each word of hers clipped.

"What made you get off the highway?" Alana asked, eyes peeling over the map, numbers running through her head. She could hear Merle rustling through the box again.

"We kept running into those things," Sasha answered curtly. "Kept losing people. There were five of us, so we turned back." Alana clarified which roads were taken, once off the highway. Sasha nodded, pointing again at the map. "We wandered these back roads, kept hitting roadblocks or walkers. At that point, we only had the one gun, so we turned around every time."

"Smart cookie," Merle commented. Both women turned and looked at him. He grinned at their stares. "Sounds like the rest of your group weren't so smart." He was now drinking from a bottle of water he'd picked up from the side of one of the mattresses. He then squatted down and took a seat on the edge.

Alana watched Sasha, waiting to see if she would say or do anything. It was beyond clear that Sasha wanted to say something. Her proverbial biting of her tongue shattered the silence in the gym around them. She'd be biting her own tongue, too, Alana thought. She wasn't sure though if it was because Sasha was hiding. Her eyes still fell upon the gym doors and when they did, Alana could just spot that short moment of weakness as she waited for Tyreese to return.

Alana asked how many people had been in their group. Sasha shifted her weight backwards, stepping away until she sat down in the chair that Alana had offered her. She planted her feet firmly on the ground, arms still crossed. As she ran through the list of others that had been part of the group, she averted her gaze from Merle. He was going through the box again. Muttering to himself, wondering aloud why they had given 'the good shit to these cunts.'

Alana thought Sasha would say something; her body had lurched forward slightly, like she was ready to get up, but she only forced herself to stay seated.

"How long have you been on the road?" Alana asked when she felt she'd heard enough about the group. Sasha had told her what happened to each member.

Sasha shrugged, guessing at perhaps four months.

Merle gave a low whistle. "This shit's been goin' on for more than four months."

"We found a place, just on the state line. Campgrounds. Wasn't near any highways or towns. We stayed there with others for a few months." Quickly her clipped, restrained tone changed as Sasha turned her eyes on Merle. He was again going through the box, tossing his trash on the mattress. Alana remained calm as Sasha rose from her chair, stepping forward, raising her voice. "And do you fucking mind?"

Alana did not stir in her chair, waiting to see if Sasha would approach Merle. If she was smart, she wouldn't; both she and Alana were of a similar height and built. Surprise was their greatest ally and Merle already had his eyes on her, cackling a scratchy laugh. He began saying something to Sasha, but Alana blocked him out as she shifted her eyes to her right, watching Sasha.

"Then go eat your own food! In case you missed it, _your _group gave us that food. If they don't want to feed your ass then go look for some squirrel in the woods, you fucking redneck!" Sasha stepped past Alana's chair, her foot knocking against the rifle that Alana had placed on the floor. Her eyes drifted down to it for a fleeting moment; she looked ready to lash out and kick it, upset that something had drawn her attention away from her verbal lashing of Merle. The moment was gone then, she took another step. She laughed snidely, raising and dropping her arms, hands slapping against her thighs. "Here we thought this place was a good idea. 'Oh look, that prison looks pretty decent, let's go check it out. I'm sure there aren't any crazy paranoid people in there.' Well, looks like we were wrong!" She jabbed a finger at Alana and then Merle. "You're in the wrong country and you're just a backwoods redneck." She waved over towards the gym doors. "And I'm sure that other redneck is behind there just waiting to come in."

At the first sound of Merle coming towards Sasha, Alana turned in her chair, gripping the back to steady herself. Sasha had not backed away. Alana was impressed with Sasha for two reasons. She'd managed to relatively keep her calm, giving little hint that she was building up to lashing out at Merle. Though anyone could manage that, with little or much effort. But she'd also disregarded the very easy advantage offered to her.

It wouldn't have taken much effort to take that rifle. Simply knocking Alana off the chair would have done. Then shoot Alana, she being closest, and then Merle. Pick off whoever may have come through the doors. Alana had even done her an added favor, having the silencer on it. She could have taken the guns from the others as she made her way out.

Instead the rifle hadn't even registered in her mind; she'd only seen it as an annoyance.

Alana called out to Merle harshly and he stopped in his tracks as she spoke. "If you take another step, I'm going to shove that up your ass and spin you round," she said, nodding towards the rifle. She pointed towards him. "Now stop eating their food and shut up." She pointed then to Sasha. "You, keep talking. What happened after you found that camp?" When Sasha didn't reply, Alana snapped her fingers. "Why did you leave?"

Sasha glowered at Merle, slowly stepping back so that Alana was within her sight without turning her back to Merle. "Those things came. Most of the group died and those of us that survived cleared out the dead. We stayed there until we ran out of supplies."

"And that was four months ago?" Alana asked. Sasha nodded. "And where was this camp?" Alana held the map up and with a huff, Sasha pointed out just over the southern border of Georgia. "How many of you were there?" There had been over twenty-seven. "And after the walkers attacked?"

Sasha stalled over the term for 'those things,' but then answered, saying only twelve survived the attack. "If you think we're from that place, from Woodbury, then why don't you just kill us?" she interjected. Her frustration levels were high, but Alana saw how she took further steps back, returning to her chair. Still, her eyes never wavered to the rifle at Alana's side.

At Sasha's question, Alana lowered the map, folding it and dropping it to the floor. She stretched out her right knee, feeling the ache in it. "Would you prefer that?"

It startled Sasha. Alana saw the doubt and anger and worry mix over the woman's face. In a calmer voice, Sasha asked, "How far is this town from here? Woodbury."

Alana picked the map back up, opening it again. "Here," she told her, "right where you drove by. So, you can see now why we're hesitant to believe that you aren't from Woodbury. You were no more than fifteen miles east of it. Quite shocking that you managed to slip past them, actually."

"Yeah? And why's that?"

Merle quipped, "Because we never let no one get past us." He gave a slim smile and just like that, Sasha was sitting full upright, being wound up, ready to go once more.

Alana jerked her head towards Merle. "He used to be in Woodbury," she said, as if it were an afterthought. "He has diplomatic immunity here," she added. The armour came up rather quickly around Sasha, her eyes now focusing on Merle more. She asked why his 'immunity' was so. Alana gave a disparaging smile. "That other…redneck, on the other side of those doors, that's his brother. When we were caught, I was carrying his brother's knife. That made me his ticket out of Woodbury and into here."

Sasha cocked her brow. "So he used you?"

Alana shrugged. "Used, but still alive." Reaching into her jacket, Alana pulled out pencil, asking Sasha, "Do you remember the roads you took from the camp to here?"

It was Sasha's turn to shrug. She said they took a lot of farm roads; staying away from big towns or cities.

"Well," Alana told her, pushing the map with her foot towards Sasha and tossing the pencil down, "do try to remember, best you can, and mark it."

"Then?"

"Then we're done." Sasha sighed the reply, but relenting to take the map and begin marking out the route taken, best as she could.

As she was nearing completing the route, the gyms doors opened. Alana turned, seeing Daryl step in. Behind him came Dale and then Tyreese. Andrea stood in the hall, watching over them. When Sasha dropped the pencil atop the map Alana rose from her chair, picking up all the maps. Tyreese waited by the doors, eyes moving between Alana and Merle. The confusion and then realization came over his face.

Alana began walking away, having shouldered the rifle and stuff the maps in her jacket. "Tonight we'll move you both into the cellblock to sleep. In the morning, you'll eat, then we'll bring you back here," she told Tyreese and Sasha. She paused in passing by the former. He acknowledged her, nodding.

"Thank you," he said to Alana and it irked her, hearing the sincerity in his voice. She continued past him, Merle having already left the gym as she was speaking. Along with the others, she watched while Daryl locked and chained the doors; Lucas remained behind as everyone else headed for the library.

Entering, Alana made for the nearest table, pulling the chair further out than it already was, and sat down. Dale came around the table, sitting across from her. He had left the maps Tyreese had been given out on the table. Andrea took a seat beside Dale while Daryl sat to Alana's left. At a muttered comment about pow-wows, Andrea told Merle his company wasn't needed or desired, Merle took a chair and dragged it to the end of the table, away from them, and sat.

Alana ignored his antics, pulling the maps out from her jacket, tossing them onto the table. "Shall we compare notes?" As she and Dale looked over the maps, Andrea relayed what Tyreese had told them. Daryl listened, glimpsing at Alana, watching her brow furrow and then smooth out. He'd heard everything that Sasha had told Alana and hearing now what Tyreese had said, he shared Alana's frustration.

She was no Wilhelm, he thought, seeing how the situation chipped away at her. How the gears in her head were turning and turning in a desperate manner to find a solution. Which was ironic, she probably thought the same of him.

**Hmmm, wonder if their stories matched up, what do you guys think? Or, perhaps I should ask, what are you hoping ;) **

**Wondering how Alana is going to handle the rest of the day? Still a lot to come; still have to check out the woods, speak with Rick, and figure out what to do with Tyreese and Sasha. **

**I shall be trying to get another chapter ready in time for Sunday. If I can't have it done by the afternoon, I'll probably just wait till Monday to post. **


	94. Chapter 94

**Seriously, just when I think work can't get busier, it does. I don't even get to sleep in during the weekend. **

**Aside from nonstop work, I must say, I was left deflated with the season finale. Overall, the season's plot was strong, interesting. But the details, lord almighty the details just were not consistent. They dropped the ball on little things that, when added up, I just couldn't ignore. And the molestation/attempted rape of Carl? Don't even get me started on that turning Carl into a plot device and then discarding it once the purpose was served. The "cliffhanger" was underwhelming. I think a big downer for it was Rick's line at the end; poor comparison to the comic version. I believe a silent end would have served better or changing that dialogue completely. **

**Thankfully Game of Thrones is back, so I have something to cleanse the palette (: And yes, I totally went onto the youtube to watch the reactions of people that haven't read the books. And hearing their theories on various things, just makes me grin like mad and giggle. **

**Ok, time to stop rambling. Let's get on with the story! **

If anyone at that table had been hoping for matching stories, they did not show their disappointment, as Tyreese's story didn't match up with Sasha's. The stories complimented each other instead. Whereas Sasha had been precise, Tyreese was vague, and vice versa. Sasha had known exactly how many had been in their group, how many had died at any given time and even how. Tyreese only recalled the deaths that had occurred in the past few months. The others, those that had died at the campgrounds and beforehand, he referenced to inmass. Sasha's map had minimal markings on it. Tyreese remembered more of the routes they'd taken after the camp, having included some roads that they'd ended up having to turn back on. He had shown Dale and Andrea where they'd been when he and Sasha lost the other two remaining members of their group.

"Their son, Kevin, got bit couple weeks back," Tyreese had told Dale. "We were trying to find somewhere to hide and we found this house, down a back road. He was searching around the outside…those things got him. There were too many, we had to run, leave him behind. He was gone already."

Feeling that their plan was falling apart, looking over the maps and hearing how Tyreese's answers coincided with Sasha's, Alana began asking Dale and Andrea whatever she could think of. Anything that could possibly lead to some progress.

"Did you mention anything to him about Woodbury?" she pointed to the same roads marked on both maps that took them right by the town.

Andrea nodded, pulling one towards herself and indicating places on it that she had marked. "Same roads his sister marked, but these here were houses they stopped at." Daryl asked what was so special about those houses. "Those other two they were with, Melissa and Charlie. Tyreese said Melissa wasn't so well after their son died, that she was always freaking out over things. And she did not like those houses. They found food in a few, but she kept going on about the food being there in the first place. They ignored her, but in the fourth house, here," Andrea said as she pointed to a last mark, "they saw how the dust around the cans wasn't even. The shelves were covered in dust but some of the cans barely had any on them." She side-eyed Dale beside her. "And there was a car, further down the road, with half a tank of gas in it. Tyreese said Melissa wouldn't shut up about it, that they should keep moving. While they were going through the house, she even tried to take off on her own."

"Maybe someone was living in those houses," Alana thought aloud, but Andrea and Dale shook their heads.

"They checked every house," Dale told her. "Nothing was there to suggest someone was staying there. Tyreese said he told them to take all the food and leave, to calm Melissa down. He didn't say anything to her husband or Sasha, but once he started thinking maybe Melissa wasn't so paranoid after all, he did think those houses were just a little too perfect."

"That's 'cause they were," Merle interrupted with. He still had that smug tone to him, but there was no added snark. "Used to bait them. Stick some food in the kitchen, keep it all nice and cozy, wait for someone to come by."

"And the car?" Daryl asked darkly.

"That would be bait, too."

"Then the Governor would send his men out to collect whoever may be there?" Alana asked, keeping her voice calm.

Merle shrugged. "The man does enjoy his sport."

Alana gritted out, "I've noticed." It was always a task to keep herself calm around Merle. He'd gotten her out of Woodbury and she was grateful for that, but she was also holding onto anger. He being there, being part of Woodbury, meant her anger was directed towards him. She never felt that way towards Alice though. The woman was naïve about what had been happening at Woodbury. Merle, he was like a band-aid. He had been a necessity, but damn it all if it didn't hurt to yank it off. Alana asked how often the houses were checked, setting her emotions aside to focus on the matter at hand.

"Every couple days. He made sure they put enough food in those houses, keep whoever shows up from wanting to leave right away. Had his little group of _friendlies_, he called 'em. Sent them out to pick up anybody in the houses. _I_ was never invited."

"And if the people had left? What then?" Andrea asked, she and the others wary of what Merle's reply would be.

"They'd head out lookin' for them. Check few roads round the area."

Daryl remained quiet, eyes down at the map, as Alana swore, slapping a hand on the table. He felt the room closing in around him as everything in it suddenly felt very far away. He could just make out Alana speaking to Andrea.

"Get back to the gym and ask them, did they leave anything on the roads leading here? Did they move any cars, kill any walkers? I want to know if they took a fucking piss." Once Andrea had left, Alana turned in her chair, fully facing Merle. "How seriously will the Governor take finding us here?"

"If he ain't dead, he'll keep sending his people out, looking for ya. And with all that food gone from those houses, well, he'll think it was you. That's the way the man gets, ain't gonna rest till he finds this place." Dale asked if they had so much to worry about; it had been over two months since the incident at Woodbury. Merle shrugged, irritating the other three. "Well then maybe he's dead. Ya wanna head into town and ask?"

Dale, with a stricken tone, asked what the others were wondering. "Say that Tyreese and Sasha did leave a trail of whatever sorts—or that the Governor's men just get lucky—if they were able to find us here, how soon could they get here?"

Merle leaned back from the table, crossing an ankle over his knee. He sucked in a breath through his teeth, emitting a sucking noise. "Tonight. Morning." The Governor wouldn't be with his men during their check of the houses. The men would see the food missing and head out onto the roads surrounding the area, looking for any signs of others passing through. With the time that had already passed, and taking into account how long it'd take to actually reach the prison, road scouting and all, the group could come upon the prison in the middle to late evening. "Won't come barging in," Merle said. "Might sit back, do a bit of '_reconnaissance.' Then run back home and let the Gov know they've found." _

_"__And he'd come right away," Alana added, her voice tinged slightly with weariness. "They'd be here by late morning." It couldn't be discerned what she was thinking, her face frozen over in neutrality as she looked down over the maps, an index finger lightly tapping at the table. Alana looked up to Dale. "Tyreese and Sasha. What do you think of them?" _

_Dale stalled for a moment, eyes widened. "I don't believe they're from Woodbury." He voiced his thoughts as they came to him. "Makes no sense for them to have come here without any weapons or any way of getting signal out. Then again…could be that the Governor didn't want them to come in here and attack us. Plan might have been for us to accept them, allow them to infiltrate us. __But__ I don't think this Governor is one for patience. And he wouldn't send others to do the work for him, not unless he was right there to watch it all." The others in the room turned to Merle for clarification and he nodded. He made mention of how the Governor would even head out during round-ups of walkers for the fights, wanting to make sure the 'right ones' were chosen. With the trio before him not speaking, Merle then added more. _

_"__Those two monkeys ain't the Governor's. Man isn't stupid. Sent Martinez and you sure did a number on him," he said to Alana with a grin. "Cunt had it coming, fuckin' up my plans. Governor wouldn't try to send others again." _

_Andrea returned before more could be said. Tyreese and Sasha had not left anything on the roads. They had not lit any fires, choosing to stay locked up in the car instead. The only traces they left were the bodies of Melissa and Charlie, set far enough off from the road. Andrea moved around the table and took her seat again beside Dale. She asked the others what the plan was. Alana felt the eyes slowly fall upon her, shifting to Daryl and then back to her. _

_Missing food and a gunshot__, Alana thought. That was all the Governor's men would have to go on. But would it be enough to lead them to the prison? Had they been searching for them before? Were they getting closer, or had they not been looking at all because the Governor was dead? __Could have bled out__. Sure, they still had the doctor back at Woodbury, he could have aided him, but without Alice that could have proven difficult. Perhaps even impossible. From the details Michonne had provided about her attack on him, Alana carried great doubts that the Governor had survived. Those doubts were tainted by her hope that he was dead though. _

_"__Let's check the woods," Alana finally spoke, looking to Daryl and his brother. "Check around the prison, then the road leading here. See if anyone's been watching us."_

_"__What do we tell the others?" Andrea asked. _

_Daryl shook his head, leaning his elbows atop the table. "Don't tell them nothing. Not till we know if we're gonna be getting' more guests." _

_Alana nodded. "If anyone asks, we're just checking to be safe. They ask about Tyreese and Sasha, we're taking care of it. We'll get everyone together in a while, talk things over." When the others nodded to her, Alana pushed her chair back and stood. She gave a nod to Daryl. "Check the area." To Dale she said, "Get back to Lucas. Head into the gym and let Tyreese and Sasha know what we're doing. That we're checking the woods and the road…tell them that if the Governor is following them, he'll be here tonight. Watch them. Let me know what their reactions are." Dale nodded and left. Alana then told Andrea to stay with her. They, along with Daryl and Merle, started heading out from the library. _

_Entering the cellblock, the Dixon brothers made their way to the cells, gathering their weapons. Alana and Andrea remained standing down below, managing as the others in the group approached them with cautious questions. Andrea fielded each one, speaking a calm, sure voice. She and Alana followed after Daryl and Merle as the two headed outside to grab one of the cars. Andrea began making for the gates to start opening them, giving a wave up to the guard tower. She could see Carl and Axel up in it. Merle singled out which car he wanted to take; Daryl was slowing behind him, turning around as Alana caught up with him. _

_"__Ya think they're telling the truth?" he asked, concerning Tyreese and Sasha. _

_Alana gave it some thought. "I want to believe they're telling the truth." She shook her head, smirking at the next words out her mouth. "Merle's right. The Governor wouldn't trust some newcomers to come in here and trick us. He put on a show, back at Woodbury, gave us this grand tour, showing it off like a shiny new toy. Then…ripped the rug from right underneath us. He won't do that again. He has no reason to trick us again. He'll come at us straight and we'll have to be ready." Merle had started the car and was yelling at Daryl to hurry his 'lily ass' up. "Go," Alana told him, smiling the best that she could. "I got this." _

_Daryl hesitated at first. "Alright, Brains," he told her, seeing her smile widen just a bit more into something that was almost real and honest. _

_That's what I am now__, she thought as he walked off to the car and she to the gates to help Andrea. __I'm the brains__. _

_The two women closed the gates behind the car and stood back watching it. Andrea looked over to Alana, seeing the sternness etched over her face. She looked eerily calm. At peace, strange as it felt for Andrea to think. It hadn't gone unnoticed by her how, in the library, Daryl had sat there, appearing riled up. Unsteady. That whole morning he had looked out of place, irritated at the sudden heaviness upon his shoulders. She'd also seen the calm that had slowly begun to crawl its way over Alana up to that very moment as they stood before the gates. In all honesty, Andrea had believed that Alana was 'out of the game,' at least for a while. There'd been too much death recently and she'd been taking it all on herself. Without Wilhem though, all Alana had was Daryl. Andrea thought, perhaps seeing him recoil in on himself had spurred Alana. She couldn't see him weak and the only way to keep that weakness from him was to rid herself of her own. _

_Andrea recalled back on the farm, when Alana had been trapped in that house, the calmness that Wilhelm wore when told what had happened. She saw that same calmness in Alana then. "What's the plan?" she asked her. _

_"__There's no standing our ground here," Alana answered her. _

_"__So, what, Governor shows up we run?" _

Alana nodded and began turning back to the prison. "But first, we plan an ambush."

**Looks like Alana has quite a few plans brewing in her head. Wonder what the rest of the group will think of them. I'll tell you all this much, her plans are going to be drastic and not everyone will be comfortable with them. **

**And we're seeing a big change in Alana; dare I say she's becoming more like her brother? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? **

**Next chapter we'll find out what Daryl and Merle find out checking the woods. And we'll see what Alana's plans are for the prison. And eventually Rick will have be dragged out from B-block; Alana's plans will require everyone working together, and that includes Tyreese and Sasha. Wonder how the group will react to that? **


	95. Chapter 95

**Life, it's quite annoying at times. Been so long since I've been able to write, but tried to write a bit and here it is. Isn't much, but it's something. **

**Work is hectic, life is hectic, health is hectic. I've got three strikes against me and somehow I'm still not out. **

**Thanks to everyone that has stuck through with this story. I know a lot of us on here reading and writing as a source of relief and many of us know that depression, it's a bitch. A rude ass bitch. **

**To anyone that is able and willing, I beg you guys to stay on me with writing this story and the others. In the past writing always helped so much, so perhaps getting back into it will help once again. Just send me a message and I'll pass on my email so we can keep in touch. **

**Again, I know this isn't much, but hopefully it'll get things ramped up for what I've had planned for this story since the start. **

**Thank you to everyone for reading. **

Alana stood back, rigid before the fences, watching as Daryl and Merle came to a stop near the intersection of the woods and the road. She nodded her head, thinking to herself, her own voice rolling through her mind. They won't be here yet, not yet, she thought. Her eyes scanned over the edge of the woods around them. She turned half back towards the prison as she thought over an escape plan, scowling. There was not even a guarantee that the Governor and his men would find them, today or any other day, and yet here she stood, admitting defeat. But they couldn't stay if he did show and it would be more than foolish to believe that they were safe.

There was never a safe place, only safer places. The scowl fell from her lips as Alana could hear the words as if they came from her brother's mouth. With the slamming of the C-block door her demeanor became rigid once again.

Andrea came and stood beside her, squinting against the daylight as she watched Daryl and Merle move about in the woods. "Everyone's staying put. Pretty sure they know what's going on…but they're not saying anything." Andrea sighed as she listed off the rest. "T-Dog said he's gonna go make a 'mental note' of our ammo and packs, just in case, Hershel and Maggie and Glenn are in the cafeteria, eating, Michonne is somewhere, Alice is in her cell, Dale and Lucas are with Tyreese and Sasha, seeing what they can get out of them." With a second thought, she added that Carl and Axel were, of course, up in the tower, and Rick was still off on his own in B-block. Andrea then stood there, watching as Alana did. She fought the nerves that were wracking through her; just standing there out in the open. She kept waiting for the worst to happen, to hear a car. Gunshots. Screams. Anything. Andrea began wondering if Alana was mental to be standing there so calm or if she felt the same.

As if she hadn't even heard a word that was said, Alana began speaking in a nearly monotone voice. "We'll need to move the cars. Might not be able to get to all of them, we should just grab our packs, not leave them in the cars." She gave a nod towards the gates. "Only way in, they'd block it. Set a few cars out front, few in the back. We'll have to figure out a way to break the fences down without puncturing the tires. Axel or Daryl will think of something. Merle even. We'll have to meet up somewhere. Maybe the farm. Somewhere the Governor doesn't know about. Stay off the main roads, that might help us."

Daryl and Merle had both moved away from the road, going separate ways as they set to encompass the prison. Alana walked alongside the fences until Daryl was once more in her straight line of sight. She peered over her shoulder, looking for Merle.

Andrea shook her head with a sort of shock. "We're really going to just make a run for it? Just, leave." She quickly added that she was not disagreeing with Alana. "I get it. We—we're just sitting ducks here," she said, flicking a hand to the fences in aigitation. More like pigs, Andrea then thought instead, in a straw house. Waiting for that wolf to track them down. "The others aren't going to like this plan. Not after all the work we've put in to this place."

"It's not my only plan," Alana then told her. She chuckled sardonically and slid her booted foot over the pavement. "Though I doubt anyone will be happy with it either." Andrea asked what it was with hesitation. "I'll need to take four people with me."

"For what?" Andrea pressed.

Alana turned to her, preparing to walk further on as Daryl had moved further through the woods. "If anyone comes down that road tonight, we have to kill them." The control Andrea had over her face began to loosen as Alana continued speaking, walking again alongside the fences, watching Daryl. "I'll have to take Alice with me. She has to be the bait. The men will recognize her and she can say that she was kidnapped. Distract them long enough for us to take them out. I'll need the best shots, so I'll need you and Lucas. And we have to take Tyreese with us—it's how we'll know for sure. You'll watch him, if you doubt him for one second…" Alana looked to Andrea and spoke again. "Daryl has to stay here. We have to make sure everyone's ready to leave, just in case. We'll grab cots from the hospital wing, line them up in the hallway, have the cars parked out in front of the doors."

Both women were quiet for a moment, the seriousness of everything weighing heavy. Her voice taking on the same lack of tone as Alana's, Andrea spoke up. "We'll hide the bodies. Take some jugs of water, wash any blood off the road. Bring the car back here and…hide it in the garage." She took a stiff breath. "No one will like this idea either." Daryl was moving along through the woods again. "What are you going to do about him?"

Alana shook her head, repeating, "He can't come with us. He needs to be our backup." My backup, Alana really thought. "We'll take a walkie, stay just within range. Merle said they only ever used walkies in the town. And with the prison ones, they won't even be able to hear us. We'll ask Axel what the range on ours are."

The two women spoke no more, not again until Daryl and Merle had returned to their vehicle and were making their way down the road, away from the prison. They moved at a slow pace as they went out of sight. Likely both men were looking out the windows, checking the road for any telltale signs of vehicles having gone by recently. Alana honestly did not know how far they would travel down. She did know that it didn't matter any if the others just hadn't shown up yet.

Standing once more near the gates, Alana and Andrea turned around at the sound of doors slowing opening. Out from C-block peered Dale. Realizing that he was waiting on them, Alana waved him over. Before he was within earshot of the two, Andrea, quietly asked Alana something that had been on her mind for some time.

"Is it starting to worry you yet, how easy it's becoming to do these things?"

Alana held onto the question. She was planning an ambush. She was planning to risk the lives of her friends, planning to kill others.

No, it didn't worry her.

It terrified her.


	96. Chapter 96

**So again I know this chapter isn't much, but I figured it would be best to just try and get a few chapters out at a decent pace so that I might get back into the swing of things with this story. Plus, just thinking of enough material to cover a full chapter was anxiety inducing enough; these little burst chapters lack pressure so probably best to stick with them. **

Alana knew what Dale would say before he'd even opened his mouth. He came up to them, shaking his head and sighing exhaustedly.

"If they're not telling the truth," he said, in regards to Tyreese and Sasha, "I don't know how to prove it. I just don't think the Governor _did_ send them. They're just…unlucky, getting caught up in all this." Dale looked past Alana and Andrea, seeing that the car was gone from the road. He asked how far Daryl and Merle were going.

Alana shrugged as she answered. "Far as they need to." She looked down to check the time on her watch. "They won't be long." She figured they'd head to the first intersection and then turn around to come back. If the Governor's men had tracked them to the prison, they wouldn't be stupid enough to come straight down the road so far. If it had been herself, Alana thought, she would have stopped at the intersection and made her way through the woods—if she knew the prison was there. If she didn't, she'd have taken her time making it down the road, stopping at each turn and checking ahead.

They'd go to the intersection, and then Daryl and Merle would come back. Alana kept telling herself this. Perhaps if she thought it enough times, it would surely happen.

Both women knew that Dale remained standing there before them because he didn't know what else to say and because he did not want to go back into the prison without some piece of news to tell the others. They all needed some sort of plan aside from 'stay in the prison and wait.' Alana could feel Andrea's eyes on her, waiting for her to speak up and say something about the plan she'd just shared. Crazy as it was.

"We're going to need everyone in the cafeteria," Andrea spoke and it snapped Alana from her thoughts. The two shared a glance at one another. "Tyreese and Sasha, too." Dale asked why and Andrea would only say that everyone needed to be there, that they needed to go over what the group was going to do next.

Dale expectantly turned to Alana. She nodded. He nodded in turn, beginning to mention that some of the others were wanting to make plans. Alana was quick to stop his speech and the old man looked to her, eyes growing wide, but he didn't speak another word.

"There's no time for debating whatever it is we're going to do. I've…thought things over, and there's only one way for things to go. I need everyone in the cafeteria." After a moment, Dale nodded, seeing that what plans Alana had made were going to happen, no matter what. He asked if there was anything he should tell the others. Some way to prepare them for what Alana was going to say. She questioned if she should tell him anything, if there was something that could be said to ease the worry of the group. In the end, she shook her head. "Just make sure everyone is in the cafeteria."

"What about Rick?" spoke up Andrea. She shifted her eyes from the road to Alana, arms crossed to keep herself warm.

Alana felt her weight sway a moment as the dizziness of that situation rushed back to her head. Is that what it must have felt like, being Rick? Being the unspoken leader of their group. Alana wondered when it was that he had silently stepped up to the position or when the position had cast its shadow over him. He must have not even realized it when it had come. Just like she had never noticed it until she found herself in that first moment, constructing the plans and feeling everyone's eyes on her. Everyone's worries. Their lives.

Looking over to B-block, Alana calmed the dizziness. "I'll talk to him." As if to encourage herself, she took a step away from Andrea and Dale. "Stay out here till Daryl and Merle get back. If they found anything, come and get me. If not, get them back inside." Her last words were directed to Andrea and she nodded over to the guard tower. Send them inside and take watch." She knew everything that needed to be known, Alana thought, although she would severely miss having Andrea there as a backbone for when the others would undoubtedly disagree with her.

Slowly making her way towards B-block, Alana began to check off everyone in the group, wondering which of them—if any—would willingly agree to go along with her plan. She wanted to believe that some would. But that prison was the safest shelter any of them had come across. They had actually allowed their guards to fall because of it. Alana thought it ironic; safety…in a place surrounded by mere fences? Maybe they should just leave, she then began thinking. The fences would never hold forever. This place was too large for their small group. Were they to bring in more people? How many would be enough? And how long could they keep control over everyone if their numbers increased?

Perhaps in a small place, all those things could work. There might be a building out there somewhere, a sturdy one, that they could move into. A supermarket. A warehouse. Maybe even a train yard. A place like that could work. Or maybe a small school or some plantation out in the fields. There must have been some somewhere out there. Hershel would know. She'd speak with him, Alana thought. Running back to the farmhouse wouldn't end their possibly coming troubles.

That dizziness began drifting back up Alana's spine.

Too many steps ahead. She was thinking too far ahead. Watch the road, prepare to leave, make for the farmhouse. Three steps. That was all her plan needed for now. Once she was sat out there on the road in the evening, she'd begin thinking past the farmhouse.

She could only hope that there was a 'past the farmhouse.'

**So lots of deep thinking for Alana. Too bad she failed to think over what she would say to Rick once she sees him. Wonder how that will turn out. Think Rick will be able to get himself together long enough to help her out? **

**Let's hear your predictions now! **

**Tyreese and Sasha; good guys or bad? **

**Think we'll be saying goodbye to any characters out there on the road? **

**And the biggest question of all: is the Governor dead or alive? **

**I'll try to be back with another bit maybe this weekend. I know for sure that the next chapter I'm just going to focus on the confrontation between Alana and Rick and the one after that will be the meeting in the cafeteria. **

**Thanks to everyone reading and leaving reviews, reviews are the best! **


	97. Chapter 97

**Time for the confrontation! Anyone else get flashbacks to Les Mis after reading that? And yes, I shall sing both parts in the song, it's the only way! **

**This chapter turned out longer than I thought it would, so that was a lovely surprise. And thankfully it didn't take very long to write once I was able to sit down and get to it. **

It wasn't until the slamming of the door behind her that Alana was jolted into the present, realizing that she was alone with Rick, somewhere in the maze of a building. Her pace slowed, allowing a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimness. The soft thuds of boots were somehow deafening to her ears. She could almost feel the air stir as she moved down the hall, turning this way and that, heading further in. Making her way to the cellblock, Alana had not bothered to arm herself, leaving guns and knives in place at her waist and hip. She thought of at least showing a bit of hesitancy at each turn and dark corner. Having no guard up wasn't a luxury, she thought, need to shake that off. She succumbed to gripping the handle of the knife at her hip.

She'd made her way to the cellblock on instinct. At the entrance she had taken a few steps and then paused, taking in a deep breath and feeling it weigh her down to the spot. Alana wet her lips, scanning over the cells.

"Rick?" she called out tentatively. There was no answer, no sound of movement. Alana slid one boot forward, barely raising the other from the ground as she advanced into the open space of the cellblock. "Rick, we need everyone in C-block." She stumbled over thoughts of what to else to say—if she should say anything else. Such foolishness, standing there like a guilty child that has finally come forward for punishment. "We have a problem. Need—I need everyone together."

Still with no response, Alana walked further past the cells. She turned back once reaching the end to head for the stairs and check the upper level. Gripping the railing, she braced for the ache the stairs would cause her and began her ascent.

"Is he alright?"

The voice startled her and Alana's boot slipped from the first metal stair. Biting back a curse, and breathing a bit faster if she were to be honest, Alana looked behind to see that Rick stood at the entrance to the cellblock. She hadn't even heard him. He must have been in one of the rooms she passed. Should have looked in them, she knew it.

It was her turn to not supply an answer and so Rick asked again, still standing at the entrance. "Is he alright? That man, Tyreese." He looked haggard. His hand was bandaged, red splotches stark against the white. He came forward a bit then, further into the light that came through from the high windows. He looked like a man at the end of his rope, with just enough left to put himself out of his misery. For a fleeting moment Alana wondered if she mirrored him. Or if she would soon reach that point.

"Yeah. Yeah, he's okay now. Nothing that won't heal."

Rick rubbed his hands over his face and back over his head. He took steps forward that looked like he would topple over at any minute. He came to stand before a metal table, with chairs, all bolted to the ground. C-block didn't have the tables and chairs in its cellblock like this one. No one had ever bothered to ask Axel why that was, but he had sure managed to let them all know; was part of a 'renovation' the prison had begun. He hadn't cared for it. Was just a way for the guards to keep the prisoners inside instead of letting them out in the yard.

Rick eased himself down into one of the chairs, leaning back and slipping a bit down in his seat. He shook his head. At what, Alana did not know.

She repeated her words. "Everyone needs to be in the cafeteria, they're waiting for us. You gotta come, too." Her hand still rested on the railing as she had turned to face Rick at the table. He began speaking, and Alana could not be sure if he'd even heard a word from her. He had told her these things before, she remembered, but still she listened. A second time around did not lessen the sadness.

"When I woke up, in that hospital, I was…confused, thought it was all a dream. But it all felt so real and then I started wishing it _was_ dream. You know, I didn't even see any walkers at first. Saw the bodies. In the parking lot there were, so many. In body bags and some just covered up with sheets. Couldn't bring myself to look under any of them. Even after seeing one, I was still confused. You don't think that," he laughed and his face looked as if it was cracking, "that a thing like this would happen." His hands rested in his lap, picking at the edges of the bandages. He sighed. Alana, very slowly, lowered herself to sit on the stairs. "I made it to my house, somehow, and no one was there. The entire place was a mess and I didn't know why. The whole town was a mess and I didn't know why. I came out and let this walker come almost right up on me, but this man and his son, they saved me." He smiled wryly. "His son hit me over the head, knocked me out. Still, comes down to it, they saved me. Morgan and Duane. They were, hiding out in the houses in the neighborhood. Morgan, he'd told me everything that had gone down. How people were suddenly getting 'sick,' and that no one was even certain of where it had started. It just…hit so fast and so hard."

Rick looked up finally to Alana. He'd been staring blankly at the table before him, eyes drifting. "The world had come to an end, for all of us, but all I could think of was getting to my family. I thought, they're out there, without me, and I need to be with them. I need to protect them. That's what I'm supposed to do." He became agitated, jabbing a finger against the table. "That's what you do, for your family." His eyes had lost the tiredness in them and they looked wildly at Alana. She did her best to not turn away from him. She nodded, but was unable to keep her stare upon him as he continued to speak and the words resonated inside her. "Everything—_everything_ I've done was to protect them. Keep them safe. I don't even know how this will end, if we could ever come back from this, but all I wanted was to protect them. Do what's best. And I keep trying." His voice cracked and he slammed a fist atop the table. Fresh blood began to soak into the bandages. Rick spoke his thoughts, words rambling together and one thought toppled out after another. "There's got to be a safe place out there. Other people, good people, that aren't just surviving. They're living and growing. They're out there somewhere. We just gotta find them. But…but I don't know how many more of us are going to die before we get there."

"There's no safe place out there," Alana spoke in a quavering voice. "Just safer than others."

She thought Rick would become angry or disheartened at her words, but she saw him actually smile instead. The sadness that hid in the lines of his face darkened the smile though. It faded and was replaced with a dismal shadow.

"I was angry at Wilhelm, for what happened. For leaving us like that. I had no right, but, I was angry with him because I needed him. Shane…Shane was gone. Couldn't trust him. He'd always had my back, ever since we were kids. I needed someone to help me. I wanted your brother to help me keep all of you safe. And then he was gone. And I was selfish and still wanted that help, so I put it on you. I shouldn't have done that. Shouldn't have done that to you, wasn't fair. Shouldn't have put it on Daryl. None of it…none of it was fair." Rick leaned forward over the table, resting his elbows atop it, palms rubbing at his eyes. "I'm tired of burying people. I'm tired." He then sat up, face as neutral as he could make it, and looked back to Alana. "I'm sorry I put all this on you. And Daryl. I know, I know it isn't easy. Every mistake feels like a million and you start doubting if you can even keep the group safe. Think that maybe they'd be better off without you."

Alana took a shallow breath, widening her eyes to keep the tears from falling. Tried to blink them away. Rick could see the words that began to form on her lips and cut her off, shaking his head.

"What happened," he said, not willing to mention it outwardly, "wasn't your fault. It, it happened because it just happened. You want to save everyone." He thudded a finger against his chest. "I wanted to save everyone and I couldn't. And I let it break me down and I put all that pressure on you and Daryl. I gave you guys no choice but to pick up my mess." At the mention of Daryl again, Alana could no longer hold her tears back. She sniffled and wiped at her nose, breathing through her mouth. "I need to keep Carl safe. I need to keep all of you safe, but, can't do it on my own. We need to change things. This world, it isn't the same anymore. And we do what we have to do. Try to find some way to live with it all." Rick saw how Alana sat on the steps, leaning forward, trying to give herself the ability to speak. Again, Rick stopped her. "We can't bring any of them back, can't change what's happened. None of it matters now. We gotta protect what we've still got. Work together. I think that's a start."

Pushing the thoughts of Wilhelm, and Lori and the baby, of everyone they'd lost, Alana focused on those still alive. In her mind she could see that lone road leading to the prison, the Governor and his people coming down it. No matter the scenario she played out, she just couldn't see an outcome where they made it out alive if the Governor found them.

Protect what they still had…

"I need everyone in the cafeteria," Alana finally spoke up, steeling her voice the best she could. Rick continued to look at her with an open, calm face. "The others, Tyreese and Sasha, there's a chance the Governor's men may track them here."

Rick cut in, asking what the group knew of Tyreese and Sasha. Alana informed him that there was no proof they were with the Governor. Still, Rick asked, "Do you trust them?"

Alana shook her head. "There's no proof either way. But, I have a plan that might work." She told him of her intention to take a group out to the road; Rick listened intently. "Rest of the group doesn't know yet." The more the two of them spoke, the more Alana felt herself regaining control. It felt as if everything that had happened, to the both of them, was just a flicker in the dark. A passing thing. Though both were very much aware they were feigning normalcy as had become a custom it seemed. "If the Governor's men or even him show up," Alana mentioned slowly, "I'm not sure I can bring everyone back. And once I tell them about this plan, they'll know it too." It was a deadly game she wanted nothing to do with, but was being forced to take part in nonetheless.

She and Rick knew the risk was high. She'd have to take some of the best in the group with her and risk getting them all killed. Leaving those at the prison nearly defenseless. But she couldn't take the defenseless with her instead.

If anyone came down that road that night, there would be a body count, that was the only promise Alana could make.

She watched Rick as he looked around the cellblock, it evident that he was thinking things over. She wondered what went on in his mind. If the Rick she saw before her was the old Rick that would stand up and say 'I'll tell them it's my plan.' She questioned if his shoulders were strong enough to still carry such a weight. It hadn't been forgotten, that mental break Alana had witnessed of Rick's. Him sitting in that room waiting in front of that phone for Lori to call.

"Can't keep doing things like this," he said softly. "We gotta start over." Rick rose, stepping away from the table. "After tonight." He came over to where Alana was sat on the stairs and offered a hand to her.

Inside the cafeteria, every sat waiting. The only one missing was Andrea. At one table to the side were Tyreese and Sasha. Behind them stood Lucas. All eyes fell upon Alana and Rick as they entered. Alana stood a step further than Rick, looking over the group, purposely avoiding Daryl's eyes to her left. It would have been different, she thought, if she didn't have to hand out marching orders to these people, let them volunteer instead as they normally did. There wasn't such guilt in that manner. And their faces, it was so difficult to look at their faces.

Everyone looked expectantly at her. She could feel that they knew what she had to say was not of any good. Thinking of this plan had been easier than it was now that she stood before the very people she had chosen to send out to potential deaths. Alana tilted her head down, mustering the strength to speak and remain stoic in front of the group. She raised her head, eyes slowly coming over everyone.

Rick stepped forward, standing at her side. "We have to send a group out," he spoke and Alana felt the ebb of fear.

**So that was certainly a different approach than I had planned for Alana and Rick. Had intended to have Alana leave Rick with no choice but to come out and then just have him there in the background not doing much. Then I thought, eh, such a waste to do that. Yeah the guy's had it tough lately and has every right to bench himself. Guy's reached his breaking point, but there's also the breaking point's breaking point. This doesn't mean he's back in the game, ready to restart the Ricktatorship, as he said, the group needs to start over. Now we just have to wait and see who's left standing to actually start over. **

**So question time! **

**Who thinks I would be cruel enough to have the Governor and/or his men find the prison and attack at night? Would I be so cruel as to kill off some people in an epic firefight? **

**Everyone put in your bets on who you think could potentially bite the dust in the coming chapter! **


	98. Chapter 98

**Hello all, it is I. **

**Yes, I'm still alive.**

**Life has been, well, life. But I'm hopeful that things are making their way to the upside. Finally have a steady job, still panicking over money, but at least I have a job, right? Last one was hell. Had to quit my old job because it was too much on my physically and mentally. Got the new job and then realized my bosses were racist and lazy. Thought, I best get out of here before they realize I'm not white, but they took care of that by being lazy and stingy with money when they stopped giving me and others hours. Part of me wishes they would call asking if I can come in for shifts just so I can go off on them (they were rather scared of me and my self worth). So then with no job I had no money for my small mountain of medications. Suddenly running out of medication is not fun, guys, I advise avoiding it if possible. **

**Of course, I can't say those things were all that kept me from writing. Yes, depression gets in the way of doing things you enjoy, but also, I just had no spark to write in regards to this story. And that seeped over to the other stories, too. **

**I've watched a couple of episodes from this season today and I have to admit, I sat there angry over them and their execution. The choices made by characters, mini storyline developing, I wracked my brain trying to comprehend them, but there was no comprehension to be had. They just didn't make sense except in the form of pushing the show along in a certain direction the writers wished for it to go so they could get from Point A to Point B. Those things took the show away from being organic and reminded me that there's a group of people sitting in a room writing it, knocking walls down repeatedly because they've painted themselves into a corner. **

**So there I found myself hate-watching the show and I thought, this is bullshit, I can do better than this crap. And I sure as hell can manage it without having to kill every damn POC after giving them a moment in the spotlight (that's a whole other rant. Orlando Jones made mention of it in a recent post within his tags, check it out). It's become a formula on the show, how to kill off a POC that hasn't been exactly front and center in the show, and it finally made me snap this evening watching the latest episode. So here, mark my words, I can't change the show, but the closest thing is bringing POC front and center within my own story and that's what I intend to do. **

**With the few episodes I've seen, I've thought of small story bits here and there, was even smart enough to write them down. In the coming week I'm going to be reading the story over, taking notes and making small edits to any errors and such. Won't be anything major; if I think it's important, in the next posting I'll make a list of changes that affect the story so no one is left scratching their head. **

**If anyone would like to re-read the story with me, feel free to do so, send PM's, it'll keep my ass in line and make sure I sit down and get this story out. I will exchange tough love for cookies or better yet, posting new chapters. **

**When it comes time to post the next chapter, I will pull this A/N down so that the chapter numbers on my files will still match up; it would bother me too much for them to not match. But so that it can't be said this isn't a proper chapter (no idea if TPTB really take down stories for posting A/N instead of actual chapters), I'll just make up some tidbit here. **

Alana watched, eyes slightly widened, silent as Rick stood forward, back strong and certain. Speaking in a steady tone, speaking her words. Her plan. The eyes of the group passed from him to her, her to him.

"There's a chance that the Governor's men could track Tyreese and Sasha here to the prison. If they do, they'll head back to Woodbury and bring back everything they've got." Rick looked to his side, to Alana. "If the Governor's men find us here, we can't let them get away."

It was an invitation, that look, and Alana knew it. She did her best to keep her eyes from resting on anyone for too long, save Daryl. She didn't dare to even look at him. Couldn't bring herself to, knowing what emotions were raging within at that moment. Worry, anger, defiance. Love. Revenge. Keeping her stare from him, Alana raised her chin. Back strong and certain.

"I have to take a team out to the road to meet them head-on."

**So thank you all for still reading, for the new readers that still keep coming even though you see that this story hasn't been updated in ages. You guys have insane hope, or are insanely bored. Maybe both. Regardless, thank you to everyone. **

**Concerning my other stories, I will be doing my best to get around to them. It's crazy how much of those stories, and this one, I have swirling in my head, they're practically complete by those standards. I'd love to be able to just jump in and start posting for all three, but I know that would be a horrid trainwreck. So, for the time being, I'm going to focus on this story alone, get my feet back under me. And once things are running smoothly I'll try out a few jumps from story to story, perhaps work out some sort of schedule for posting. **


End file.
